Addiction could be less daunting if people better understood how drugs affect brain chemistry. Substance abuse rewires how your brain functions, often with disastrous consequences. The only way to begin to undo the damage is through treatment and rehab at centers such as the Santé Center for Healing. It helps to know the early signs of addiction when considering getting help.
The mechanism of how drugs affect brain chemistry is at the heart of a diagnosis of addiction. This is also known as a use disorder. The brain begins to adapt to a diet of these foreign chemicals and consider them to be part of the “normal” way of operating.
Unfortunately, ending the addiction is not as easy as just stopping your use of drugs or alcohol. It takes hard work and determination through treatment to reclaim a life of sobriety. Knowing the early signs of addiction is a start. At Santé Center for Healing, our counselors are experienced in spotting addiction signs in TX.
What is Addiction?
Before answering the question, “What are the early signs of addiction?” it’s important to have a complete understanding of the condition. Addiction is complex and marked by compulsive use of drugs or alcohol even in the face of the substantial problems it causes in one’s life. It is considered a disease of the brain.
Addiction isn’t measured objectively by the amounts you drink or the type of drug you use. It’s based on the impact substance abuse has on your life. If you continue your substance use despite the problems it causes with work, family, school, or relationships, then you may well have progressed to addiction.
What are the Early Signs of Addiction?
Addiction doesn’t announce itself when it begins. Sometimes it takes a loved one to recognize that you’re headed down the wrong path and the need for a drug and alcohol rehab center. Here are some early signs of how drugs affect brain chemistry:
- You experience uncontrollable cravings.
- You say you want to stop but can’t.
- Your hygiene suffers.
- You become socially isolated.
- You face severe withdrawal symptoms and miss work or school.
Having one of these symptoms alone doesn’t necessarily suggest you are struggling with addiction and need a residential treatment program. But when the signs start to multiply, the likelihood increases.
Steps in Treatment
When you spot the early signs of addiction, it’s important to seek professional assistance from people who understand how drugs affect brain chemistry. Your concerns are a red flag that you may need to consider treatment or rehab, where you can get help from professionals from centers such as Santé Center for Healing, which understands the effects of drugs in Texas.
The treatment process is multifaceted. It starts with a thorough medical and psychological assessment that will enable doctors and counselors to build a comprehensive treatment plan. You’ll receive this plan as you enter an alcohol rehab center program.
For most people, the first step of treatment is an addiction detox program. It’s important to get the effects of drugs out of your body so you can engage fully in your healing. That full healing hinges on counseling. You will work with addiction therapists to explore the dynamics of your situation and seek ways of building skills to avoid falling prey to those forces again.
Treatment doesn’t ever end. In the aftercare phase, you will gain access to resources such as additional counseling and 12-step anonymous programs to help reduce the risk of relapse.
Sobriety at Santé Center for Healing
Understanding the early signs of addiction can help in the search for help. Consider Santé Center for Healing as your partner in the hard work of stepping down from your addiction and stepping up to a life of hope, promise, and sobriety. The Santé team of clinicians and counselors provides individualized assessments, detox, residential treatment, intensive outpatient treatment, and transitional living, as well as specialized services. We can help you spot the addiction signs in TX. You will receive treatment in a facility that emphasizes safety, comfort, and privacy. Find freedom from addiction by contacting Santé Center for Healing at 866.238.3154 for an initial confidential consultation.
