The 8 signs that indicate the onset of an addiction.

A summary of the warning signs that show that an addiction could be developing.

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 involved in developing one and its negative consequences when it comes to maintaining a social and emotional life. However, there is also another factor that complicates everything: how complicated it is for the person to realize in time that he or she is developing an addiction.

For this reason, in this article we will see a summary of the main warning signs of addiction. the main warning signs that indicate the onset of an addiction.. Keeping this in mind 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.

The signs that mark the onset of addiction.

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

It should be noted that it is not necessary that all of them are fulfilled to be developing an addiction, and that it is not advisable to assume that the addiction is not a problem.Nor is it advisable to assume that an addiction disorder is developing simply because someone seems to meet one or two of these criteria. These are guidelines to know if there is reason for concern, and if a case deserves a first visit to 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 described below are not delineated in concrete terms (e.g., exactly how much time must have elapsed since the appearance of one of them in order to consider that the criterion is met).

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

1. You start sleeping badly

This is one of the most typical signs that an addiction is underway. People who start to become dependent on some substance or behavior tend to see many hours of sleep as a waste of time.They are often unable to sleep because of anxiety, constantly thinking about the next time they will have their unquenchable need satisfied.

For example, some of these thoughts that run through their heads as they try to fall asleep are: "Is it worth it to stay 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 more material closer to home?", etc.

2. Irritability appears when talking about the subject.

If someone in the person's environment begins to suspect that there is an addiction brewing and asks the person concerned about it, it is likely that sooner rather than later the latter will become irritable and hostile, even if the other person has not insisted too much. A conversation about the subject is avoided in order to maintain a certain ambiguity.It is not yet obvious to everyone that a disorder has arisen, and one can try to continue to hide it as long as possible.

3. Parallel use of addictive substances is started

In the vast majority of cases, people who have some kind of addiction and who have not undergone 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 necessarily occur 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 patterns of behavior characteristic of pathological gambling, even if he hides those gambling sessions he holds almost daily, it is very likely that his friends and family will notice that he drinks more, or that he has started to try from time to time drugs he had never touched before (cocaine, cannabis, etc.).

4. Old friendships are left behind

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

For example, if a person starts to drink a lot of alcohol and his usual friends barely drink a beer on weekends, 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 they will begin to isolate themselves during their free time, and in others they will begin to seek out the company of others who exhibit addictive patterns in their behavior.

5. There is a tendency to seek solitude

As the person who is developing an addiction is starting to put as number one priority always the same action, his social life is getting poorer; after all, the most important moments for him can be achieved in solitude; with the exception of certainwith the exception of certain behavioral addictions such as pathological gambling, where it is noted that the company of others is merely instrumental, a consequence of what is being sought (in this case, betting with someone at a poker table, on a horse race bet, etc.).

6. Abandonment of projects

In the same way in which one tends to leave friends aside, the person begins to stop feeling interested in projects that used to excite him/her, since these require thinking about them and organizing oneself to dedicate time to them regularly, something that the addict cannot afford to do.

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

7. Polarizing effect at work

As far as work is concerned, one usually begins to invest just enough effort and time to continue earning, but there is no longer much prospect of improving one's income. there is no longer much prospect of improving one's employment status..

However, in other cases of people who begin to develop addictions, life is distributed into two obsessions: addiction and work, leaving aside everything else. 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 satisfaction of the addictions, or to go covering debts.

8. A rational reason is sought to justify the addiction.

On the other hand, the person begins to "mask" his or her true motives for using drugs or embracing non-substance addictions, such as for using drugs or embracing non-substance addictions, such as arguing that these experiences help him/her to concentrate, motivate him/herself, etc. This is a transitional phrase between the moment when one feels that there are reasons to feel guilty (admitting that there is an addictive pattern) and the moment of acceptance of the problem, when one cannot hide the deterioration that has generated the disorder.