Q10. How do I know if I have an addiction? - Drug Addiction FAQs

A10. That is a difficult thing to acknowledge and many addicts deny or try and rationalise their addiction. This is often done out of a sense of guilt or shame about their habit and so they prefer to minimise it rather than face up to it.

It is hard to stand up and say that you have an addiction and that it is out of control but this doing this is the first step on the road to recovery.

If you experience any of the following then you may have an addiction:

• Using drugs to feel better or to have a good time
• Using drugs to relieve stress
• Finding that you cannot say no to drugs
• Finding that you think about drugs all the time?
• Lying about your drug habit?
• Feel bad if you don’t take drugs
• Wake up in the mornings and want a drink or a cigarette
• Find that you can’t stick to just one drink
• Drinking until you are intoxicated
• Getting cravings if you don’t have a drink, cigarette or drugs
• Making excuses about your habit
• Committing crime to pay for your habit
• Using more than one drug
• Having constant arguments about your habit

There is a high price to pay for addiction in terms of your health, relationships, career and family life.

Find out more in our about drug addiction section.

Drug Addiction FAQs Index:

Faqs drug addiction Intro

1. What is an addiction?
2. What is the difference between a dependency and an addiction?
3. What causes an addiction?
4. Why do some people become addicted but others don’t?
5. What are the physical effects of an addiction?
6. What are the mental effects of an addiction?
7. What is the relationship between addiction and crime?
8. Can you have a harmless addiction to something?
9. Are there any risk factors for addiction?
10. How do I know if I have an addiction?
11. How do you treat an addiction?
12. What is ‘withdrawal’?
13. What are ‘cravings’?
14. What is a ‘relapse?’
15. Can you be cured of an addiction?
16. How does drinking lead to alcoholism?
17. What are the signs of a drink problem?
18. What is the difference between alcohol abuse and alcoholism?
19. What is ‘alcohol tolerance’?
20. What are alcohol withdrawal symptoms?
21. I think my partner is drinking heavily what can I do?
22. What is the treatment for alcohol addiction?
23. Why is smoking so addictive?
24. What is ‘nicotine'?
25. Why is it so difficult to stop smoking?
26. What are the effects of nicotine withdrawal?
27. How does smoking cause cancer?
28. How do some people smoke heavily all their lives and never get cancer?

29. What are the effects of smoking?
30. What is ‘caffeine’?
31. How can you become addicted to caffeine?
32. Which foods or drinks contain caffeine?
33. What are the effects of too much caffeine?
34. What is caffeine withdrawal?
35. I think I am drinking too much coffee, what should I do?
36. How much caffeine is there in energy drinks such as Red Bull?
37. How does an addiction start in young people?
38. I think my daughter has been taking drugs, what do I do?
39. Why do young people become addicted?
40. How can we stop young people from becoming addicted?
41. Why do people take drugs?
42. What are ‘hard’ drugs?
43. What are ‘soft’ drugs?
44. Is drug use confined to deprived areas only?
45. What are the signs of drug abuse?
46. What are the effects of drug use?
47. What is the link between drug use and crime?
48. Which are the most popular drugs in the UK?
49. Why do teenagers take drugs?
50. Can using cannabis lead to the use of harder drugs?
51. Can you stop taking drugs by willpower only?
52. Why do people lie about taking drugs?
53. How do you treat drug addiction?
54. What is ‘cold turkey’?
55. What is drug rehab?
56. Does drug treatment work?