The 8 signs that indicate the beginning of an addiction

Addictions are health disorders with a great capacity to damage our quality of life.

Some of the reasons for this are the physical wear and tear that developing one entails and its negative consequences when it comes to maintaining a social and affective life. However, there is also another factor that complicates everything: how difficult it is for the person to realize in time that they are developing an addiction.

Therefore, in this article we will see a summary of what they are the main warning signs that indicate the beginning of an addiction. Taking this into account can be very useful to discover in time that you have a problem and thus go to a mental health professional before the situation worsens.

• Related article: "The 14 most important types of addictions"

Signs that mark the onset of addiction

These are the main signs that help detect addiction problems in their early stages of development.

It must be taken into account that it is not necessary that all of them are fulfilled to be developing an addiction

, and that it is also not advisable to assume that a disorder of this type is developing simply because it seems to us that someone meets one or two of these criteria. These are guidelines to find out if there are reasons to worry, and if a case deserves to go to a first visit with the clinical specialty psychologist.

On the other hand, it is also important to know that there are different types of addictive disorders, each of which has different characteristics. Therefore, the warning signs that are described below are not delineated going to the concrete (for For example, how much exact time must have passed since one of them appeared to consider that the criterion).

In any case, the diagnosis, the moment in which it is "officially" recognized that the person has developed one of these alterations, can only be carried out by professionals duly accredited and working in mental health. That being said, let's see what are the signs that indicate the beginning of an addiction.

1. You start to sleep badly

This is one of the most typical signs that an addiction is underway. People who begin to generate dependence on a substance or behavior tend to see many hours of sleep as a waste of time, and many times anxiety does not let them sleep, constantly thinking about issues related to the next time they will see their irrepressible need satisfied.

For example, some of these thoughts that go through their heads when trying to fall asleep are: "Is it worth staying here, or does it give me time? for one more drink in the kitchen?", "what will I do tomorrow morning to get another dose?", "where could I get supplies closer to home?", etc

2. Irritability appears when talking about the subject

If someone in that person's environment begins to suspect that there is an addiction brewing and asks the person about this issue affected, the latter is likely to become irritated and hostile sooner rather than later, even if the other has not insisted too much. It seeks to avoid a conversation about the topic to maintain a certain ambiguity, since it is not yet evident to everyone that a disorder has arisen and one can aspire to continue hiding it as much as possible.

3. You begin to consume addictive substances in parallel

In the vast majority of cases, people who have some type of addiction and who have not been subjected to treatment reach a point where they combine this addictive tendency with the use of substances with the potential to create dependence. It is true that this does not have to happen in the early stages of addiction, but when it does, it is one of the main warning signs.

For example, if a person has started to create behavior patterns typical of pathological gambling, even if he hides those betting sessions that he maintains almost on a daily basis, it is very likely that his friends and family will notice that he is drinking more, or that he has started trying drugs from time to time that he has never touched before (cocaine, cannabis, etc).

• You may be interested in: "Alcoholism: these are the effects of drink dependency"

4. Old friendships are being left behind

One of the characteristics of addictions is that they do not just arise in the brain of the affected person, but rather generate social contexts that favor its survival.

For example, if a person begins to drink a lot of alcohol and his or her old friends barely drink a beer on the weekends, the person The average person who is developing an addictive disorder tends to "disconnect" from those social circles, for example, so as not to feel judged. In some cases, he will begin to isolate himself during his free time, and in others, he will begin to seek the company of other people who present addictive patterns in their behavior.

5. Tends to search for solitude

As the person who is developing an addiction is beginning to always put the same action as number one priority, his social life is impoverished; after all, the most important moments for him can be achieved in solitude; with the exception of certain behavioral addictions such as pathological gambling, in which it is noted that the company of others is simply instrumental, a consequence of what you are trying to achieve (in this case, betting with someone at a poker table, betting on a horse race, etc.).

6. project abandonment

In the same way that friends tend to be put aside, the person begins to stop feeling interested in projects that he previously liked. They were exciting, since these require thinking about them and organizing to dedicate time to them regularly, something that the addict cannot do. allow to do.

of the same time, a lack of control is appearing in the way of saving or to create long-term life plans (retirement, start-up of companies with own capital...), to the point where it is assumed that savings are resources that can be spent on the leisure.

7. Polarizing effect at work

When it comes to work, normally you begin to invest the right amount of time and effort to continue earning income, but there is not much prospect of improving employment status.

However, in other cases of people who begin to develop addictions, life is divided into two obsessions: addiction and work, leaving the rest aside. It is possible that this is due to the fact that working offers a moral cover to continue dedicating a lot of time to the behavior of satisfying addictions, or to gradually cover debts.

8. A rational reason is sought to justify the addiction

On the other hand, the person begins to "mask" his true motives for those who consume drugs or embrace non-substance addictions, such as arguing that these experiences help them concentrate, motivate themselves, etc. It is a transition phrase between the moment in which you feel that there are reasons to feel guilty (admitting that there is an addictive pattern) and the moment of acceptance of the problem, when the deterioration that the problem has generated cannot be hidden. disorder.