Substance use is widespread; among people in the US aged 12 years or older, 21.9% of the population used illicit drugs in 2021. And in that same year, only 6% of those 12 and older with a substance use disorder received treatment. The majority of the remaining 94% believed they had no need for treatment. More than half a million people suffer from a substance use disorder, thinking that no help would be necessary for them. This is why recognition is so important. Knowledge of the signs and symptoms of addiction is essential to a population that takes care of its own people when they need help.
Recognizing Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Treatment options for substance abuse experience the highest degrees of success when undertaken as quickly as possible, making identification of abuse or addiction a vital, time-sensitive step toward recovery. Sometimes, the changes in friends or loved ones under the influence of substance abuse or an addiction to drugs or alcohol take a long period of time to realize. At other times, change comes quickly and drastically.
Physical Signs
Sometimes, the signs of substance abuse are subtle or extreme. You can look for:
- Sleep pattern alterations or changes in appetite
- Sudden weight gain or weight loss
- Tremors, impaired coordination, or slurred speech
- Unusual clothing, body, or breath odors
- Deterioration of personal grooming habits or physical appearance
- Pupils smaller or larger than usual or eyes that are bloodshot
- Sniffling or runny nose
Mental and Emotional Signs of Drug Abuse or Alcohol Addiction
Substance use often reveals itself in a loved one’s moods or energy. Some substances increase energy while others sap it, but either one indicates a deviance from a recognized norm. Look out for:
- Abrupt shifts in mood or mood swings
- An increase in irritability that can lead to angry outbursts or outbursts from nowhere
- An appearance of being dazed, dozing, weary, or without motivation
- An unexplained shift in attitude or entire personality
- An appearance of fearfulness, anxiety, or paranoia for no apparent or discernable reason
Behavioral Signs
The signs of abuse are less intense than the indications of addiction to a drug or alcohol. Changes in behavior can reveal a large red flag that points to the possibility of drug or alcohol abuse and can be very useful in identifying addiction symptoms. Recognizing substance abuse can be easier when you spot such behavioral changes as:
- Sudden change in friend groups, favored hangouts, and pastimes
- Unexplained abrupt need for an increase in finances
- Potential for borrowing or stealing money
- Neglecting personal responsibilities, from one’s children to one’s career or education
- Secretive behaviors or actions that arouse suspicion
- Use of a substance interfering with personal relationships
- Substance usage under dangerous conditions or making risky choices under the influence of the substance
Behavioral changes may also indicate addiction to a substance, not just abuse of alcohol or a drug. The National Institutes of Health defines addiction as a disorder that is both chronic and relapsing; it is a brain disorder characterized by the compulsive seeking of a substance and use of that substance regardless of any adverse consequences. When identifying addiction symptoms, look for:
- Increased tolerance to the substance of choice, or need to increase their intake to achieve effects once managed with lesser amounts
- Continued use in the face of negative results to their substance use
- Setting aside favored activities such as socializing or hobby involvement in favor of using a substance
- Signs of failure to control their drug use, including the inability to stop or using more of the substance than intended
- Substance use to either prevent the occurrence of or to relieve withdrawal symptoms such as restlessness, insomnia, nausea, depression, or anxiety
- A life that centers on substance use, with someone always thinking of using, planning on scoring, or getting over the effects of use
What to Do if a Loved One Is Abusing Drugs and Alcohol
Abuse of, or addiction to, drugs or alcohol has a way of impacting all the areas of life. If you notice your loved one struggling, try to have a serious chat whether it’s over coffee or partaking in an activity. Make sure the setting encourages the divulging of private thoughts. Make it as easy on your loved one as possible.
Staging an Intervention
People in the grip of substance use disorders often deny having a problem and may hesitate to undertake treatment or refuse it outright. An intervention gathers loved ones together to support the substance user and hopefully help motivate them to accept and seek help. Plan carefully, with the consultation of a mental health professional or a health care provider.
The goal of an intervention is to hold a sincere and direct heart-to-heart discussion with a loved one concerning the consequences of their substance abuse or addiction, eventually leading to acceptance of treatment.
Treatment Options for Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Treating substance use disorders involves a series of steps:
- Initial recognition of the problem
- Pursuing professional assistance
- Assessing the extent of the problem
- Detoxification and behavioral counseling
- Peer support
- Planning for the prevention of relapse
Thorough treatment of substance use disorders requires services in both the medical and mental health fields, while follow-up treatment can involve support systems grounded in the community or within your loved one’s family and friends.
Detoxification
The terms involved in recovery can get confusing. Detoxification refers to a group of interventions that are aimed at the management of acute intoxication along with withdrawal. Specifically, it denotes the removal of toxins from one’s body when it is under the influence of acute intoxication or experiencing substance dependence. The process requires understanding and compassion, taking place with three components:
- Evaluation or testing the amount of substances within the bloodstream, measurement of concentration ability, and screening for co-occurring conditions, both mental and physical
- Stabilization, which includes both medical and psychosocial processes to attain a state that is medically stable and substance-free
- Fostering entry into treatment, involving the preparation for treatment entry by stressing the vital nature of follow-through with the complete continuum of care.
Residential Rehabilitation
Residential inpatient rehabilitation has a foundation of four qualities:
- Staff that is understanding and supportive
- Nutritional meals regularly delivered
- Empathetic counselors
- Access to resources for addiction
Built on these principles, a rehab center can provide healing assistance for thorough and successful recoveries. On top of this foundation, the structure of residential rehab consists of therapy. Such therapies include:
- CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy
- DBT, or dialectical behavioral therapy
- Anxiety treatment
- Mood disorder treatment
- Treatments for other specific mental health issues
Outpatient Programs
Outpatient rehabilitation programs permit you or your loved one to remain at home or in a sober living facility while going to a rehab center for treatment. Although less rigorous than residential rehabilitation, outpatient programs are still comprehensive. Known by the acronym IOP, or intensive outpatient program, these treatments are most effective in those who have completed residential programs or have substance use issues that are either mild or relatively new.
Therapy
Types of therapy offered at a thorough and reputable addiction treatment and recovery center include:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Dual diagnosis treatment
- Medication-assisted treatment
- Trauma therapy
- Substance abuse treatment programs for specific substances
These therapies encompass a comprehensive approach so that you or your loved ones can have all aspects of drug use, including those that are physical, social, and psychological, addressed.
Support Groups
Support groups bring people together to help undertake the process of sobriety together, sharing the common bond of substance abuse or addiction and the desire to complete recovery. The use of peer support groups shows promise according to a group of 10 studies, and previous studies have also revealed positive outcomes from peer support group participation.
Utilizing Evidence-Based Approaches to Addiction Treatment
The best rehab and treatment facilities, like Liberty Bay Recovery, make use of evidence-based approaches when treating addiction and substance use disorders. The treatment of a substance use disorder requires thoroughly proven strategies to overcome.
Focusing on Personalized Care
Every person is unique, and every person’s substance use journey is unique. Because of this, personalized care is essential in making sobriety goals a reality. A focus on personalized care involves attention to each person’s story, compassion, and understanding. It results in a plan uniquely fitted to each client.
Why Liberty Bay Recovery Is the Best Option for Treatment
Liberty Bay Recovery is your best option for treatment precisely because of its focus on personalized care, evidence-based approaches to treatment, strict application of the foundations of sound care, and a framework of therapies undertaken by professionals with care and thoroughness. Our staff are understanding, knowledgeable, and glad to help. The facilities have been designed with comfort and effectiveness in mind.
Personalized Treatment Options
You can trust our experts at Liberty Bay Recovery to see to your individual needs. We understand that the problem is not one of willpower, moral failing, or low self-control. Addiction is a medical problem that is unique to each client, and each client receives personal plans and care in treatment.
With a staff comprised of recovering addicts, Liberty Bay Recovery has an innate and thorough understanding of the needs of our clients. We have years of experience in assisting clients with detoxification and understand that fear of withdrawal is a real and frequent obstacle to recovery. Our expertise in overcoming this fear leads to our frequent success stories.
Comprehensive Care
Comprehensive care is essential to success, and we apply a multidisciplinary strategy to the treatment of use and addiction. We address the physical realities of withdrawal and treat fears and symptoms with understanding and thorough compassion. We treat the psychological aspects of addiction.
Therapy Modalities
Every therapy modality is simply a different category of therapy. Just as physical therapy is comprised of different techniques ranging from heat or cold to exercises, psychological modalities address addiction and substance use with different approaches. One is CBT, which places an emphasis on the alteration of thinking patterns. Another is art therapy, using art techniques to help you or your loved one process and understand thoughts and feelings.
Counseling Focus
While part of substance abuse and addiction is the physical dependency a body develops with the use of a substance, a great deal of abuse and addiction are due to psychological and social needs and cues. The substance use does not exist in a vacuum. A new friend group with different pressures and expectations can develop around its use. Counseling helps to navigate away from this type of environment and find healthier options to pursue.
Holistic Approach to Recovery
To achieve success, addiction treatment, and recovery require professionals to address an entire individual, not the substance use disorder alone. This involves wellness activities, a healthy diet, counseling to achieve a better understanding of nutritional needs, and practices that encourage mindfulness. Liberty Bay Recovery is structured on this understanding and practice.
Addressing Co-occurring Mental Health Disorders
According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, there are three main reasons you may discover the presences of both substance use disorders and mental health problems. The number of adults living with both a serious mental health problem and a substance use problem is greater than one in four. Certain mental health problems tend to occur at higher rates with substance use problems; these include depression, schizophrenia, personality disorder, and anxiety disorders.
Three main reasons lie behind concurrent conditions with both substance use and mental health. First, at times, substance use and mental health disorders share underlying causes. Some examples include early exposure to trauma or stress, genetic vulnerabilities, and changes in the composition of the brain. Second, the use of some substances can cause people to experience mental health issues and symptoms. Third, the use of substances may be used as a form of self-medication by the person experiencing a mental health problem. Generally, those with both mental health and substance use disorders fall into one of these categories.
Supportive Community and Aftercare Services
Liberty Bay Recovery is dedicated to helping our clients succeed not only throughout their treatment with us but also in life beyond our doors. We offer support during and after treatment, with discharge planning that helps our clients choose the next appropriate action course. We can also help clients make continuing care arrangements within a network of treatment centers that excel in care.
Long-Term Recovery From Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Long-term recovery is possible with comprehensive care, supportive aftercare, and family and community understanding. At Liberty Bay Recovery, we build a plan to follow treatment with us that nurtures and supports life beyond substance use and addiction. Desire to succeed is a must as is recognizing the importance of following up with every step of the plan.
Turn to Liberty Bay Recovery for Assistance
If you recognize these signs and symptoms of abuse or addiction in yourself or in a loved one, you can turn to Liberty Bay Recovery. We are a holistic, comprehensive treatment center with innate empathy and understanding of withdrawal and recovery. The sooner substance use disorders are treated, the better the chances of an easier recovery and one that endures successfully. Contact us at Liberty Bay Recovery today to find your path to recovery.
