Stressful day at school? Light up a joint. Big blowout fight with your girlfriend or boyfriend? Crack open a beer. If every time you feel angry, stressed, depressed or just bored you turn to drugs or alcohol, you are coping with your emotions in an unhealthy way. This type of self-medicating can be a slippery slope into substance abuse, and in time, addiction.
Are you self-medicating? Watch for these signs in yourself or someone you love:
You experience cravings when faced with uncomfortable emotions. If “drowning your troubles” becomes a regular habit, you are likely self-medicating. Take note of how you feel the next time you face a stressful situations. Do you crave a drink or drug? Are you irritable or restless if you are unable to drink, smoke, snort, or shoot away your negative emotions?
Your emotional health is worsening. Many people mistakenly turn to alcohol or drugs to temporarily dull mental health issues like anxiety or depression. But this type of self-medicating can worsen symptoms and you may find that the moods and emotions you were trying to suppress become stronger, more frequent, or longer in duration since you began drinking or getting high.
You begin to suffer in other areas of life. Dealing with a substance use disorder will cause much more difficult problems to manage than a tough test or argument. Here are just a few of the health, social, financial and other problems that you may experience:
- Relationship difficulties
- Trouble with school or work
- Sleep problems
- Dietary changes
- Lower immune system
- Low self-esteem
- Physical and mental health issues
- Financial struggles
- Legal issues
- Decreased interest in hobbies
Getting Help for Substance Abuse
For information about Hope Academy's young adult substance abuse treatment program, or to begin the admissions process for a loved one, call today: 866-930-4673.
