Drug and alcohol addiction has always been a problem in the United States, but opiate addiction in particular has become an epidemic in recent years. Sadly, only about 11 percent of Americans who struggle with substance abuse actually seek treatment. On one hand, it makes a strange kind of sense that someone wouldn’t want to check into an opiate drug rehab center. Not only are people often reluctant to admit that they have a problem that may be ruining their lives, but they might not be able to recognize that they have a problem. Even though it’s admittedly difficult to know when you really have a problem with opiate addiction, here are the signs that you might want to seek out an opiate rehab program near you.
Financial Problems
If there haven’t been any serious changes in your employment status or living conditions lately yet you always seem to be having money problems, take a look at where your money is going and when you started to have problems. You might find that most of your money is being spent on your drug of choice. This will leave you without money to spend on bills, food, and other necessities. Your addiction might also cause you to miss work, which will further impact your finances.
Of course, it’s quite possible that your financial troubles are due to something else, but if they line up with when you started to buy and use more opiates, it could be a clear sign that you might need help.
The End of a Relationship
For many people struggling with addiction, the wake up call that they need to get them to seek help is when their significant other breaks up with them. Being in a relationship with someone who is struggling with addiction is incredibly difficult, as as much as people would like to think that their partners will always be there, there is only so much a person can handle.
If you’ve been struggling with an opiate addiction, you might not even know how much stress your addiction has been putting onto your partner until it’s too late. Some people believe that they must hit rock bottom and lose everything before they will realize that things need to change. Depending on how serious your relationship is, this could be the “rock bottom” that you need to begin to seek help and improve your life.
Legal Troubles
You might also find yourself in serious legal trouble if your addiction has gotten out of control. First of all, many of the opiates that are commonly abused are illegal, and simply being caught with them is enough to be charged with a crime. Since these substances are also expensive, many who use them turn to some kind of criminal activity to pay for them.
If you’ve faced criminal charges because of your substance abuse or you’re afraid that you might, your best course of action is to find a good drug rehab program so you can start to put your life back together.
Being Unable To Stop
Finally, you should definitely seek out a drug rehab program if you find that you’re unable to stop using your drug of choice. This is admittedly difficult to determine, especially since drug abuse starts slowly and casually. Before long, the user has developed a dependency on the drug, and they find that they are either using drugs or thinking about it. They might also experience withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, sweating, muscle cramping, depression, and agitation if they go too long without using any opiates. These symptoms usually aren’t life-threatening, but they are severe enough to cause practically anyone to relapse without some kind of help.
Even though it’s hard to determine when you have a problem with opiate addiction, it is a realization that you will need to make in order to become healthy. No matter how bad things may seem for you, there will always be help available. There are rehab programs across the country that specialize in opiate addiction, so don’t hesitate to seek them out if you feel like you need help. Even if you don’t need to check into a rehab program, many of these centers offer advice for anybody who may need advice.