Recognising when it’s time to seek help

After time addiction will change the way the brain’s reward system works, meaning an individual will struggle to get a natural “high”, or dopamine release, from normal everyday things like food, intimacy, and laughter. They will also require ever-increasing amounts of their preferred substance or activity as a tolerance builds, and will continue to use more and more, despite the negative consequences. Eventually, they will be using it compulsively just to feel a sense of relief.

In addition to the emotional side of addiction, several substances (including alcohol, opioids, barbiturates, benzodiazepines) are not only psychologically addictive but also physically. Meaning if a person stops taking them abruptly, their body will suffer withdrawal symptoms such as vomiting, anxiety, sweating, tremors, and diarrhoea. These symptoms can be mild or, in some cases, serious and even fatal if not managed correctly.

Often, addicts want to stop using; they don’t want to be hurting themselves or those around them. But between their head telling them that they need to use to gain a sense of relief and their bodies physically demanding the substance, they have no control and feel that there is no way out of the vicious cycle. They require outside assistance and, in some cases, a professional medical detoxification.

We can be in denial about what is happening to someone we love, what their behaviour is doing to us, and the impact it has on the family around them. Sometimes it is easier to pretend everything is okay, to continue to enable the addict in their use, than to make a stand, have a confrontation, or insist upon things changing and the individual getting help.

Some people believe that because they continue to have a successful career, plenty of money, a lovely house, ensure the children are looked after, get them to school on time, and only drink on weekends or in the evenings, they don’t have a problem. And maybe they don’t.

If your alcohol or drug use—or your gambling, internet, or shopping addiction—feels out of control, and you have tried to stop or cut down but found you couldn’t, it may be a sign of a deeper issue. If your behaviour is making you, or those around you, unhappy, then it’s time to consider getting help.