How Do You Know If You Need Rehab?

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If you’re suffering from drug or alcohol addiction, it can be hard to recognise the symptoms or even admit that you need help – So, how do you know if you need rehab?

How Do You Know If You Need Rehab?

At Ocean Recovery Centre, we specialise in helping individuals recover from addiction.

We’ve listed several of the most common signs indicating you might need rehab treatment. By being completely honest with yourself and assessing your behaviour, you could be taking the first important step towards recovery.

You Feel Your Health is Being Impacted

Alcoholism or drug addiction of any form can have devastating impacts on our health. It’s important to really be aware of that, as addiction should never be minimised. It is a serious disease that impacts the body and brain and causes health concerns all over the body, including physical and mental side effects.

While certain drugs and alcohol affect the body in various ways, addiction can increase your chances of organ failure, cancer and even seizures in the long term.

In the short term, drug and alcohol abuse can result in malnutrition, poor mental health episodes, feeling sick (nausea), stress, anxiety, mood swings, suicidal thoughts, depression and insomnia. One of the biggest indications of addiction is when individuals continue to use the drug or alcohol despite its negative impact on their health.

Remember, no one knows your body or your mind better than you do. If something feels off and the timing correlates with your alcohol or drug use, seek medical assistance. This may help you with preventing a health problem, such as a chronic disease that could develop to be more serious in the long run.

Your Doctor Has Told You That You Have Health Problems Caused by Substance Misuse

If your doctor has informed you that you have experienced serious problems concerning health due to alcohol or drug use, and this information hasn’t been enough to make you quit, then you will likely require addiction treatment.

Over some time, alcohol abuse causes terrifying damage to your body and can be attributed to everything from mental health issues to cirrhosis of the liver.

There are actually more than 200 health risks and problems linked to drug and alcohol abuse. Some of the common conditions to be aware of include (but are not limited to):

Hepatitis.
Alcohol Gastritis.
Heart disease.
Pancreatitis.
Mouth cancer.
Diabetes.
Depression.
Anxiety.
Stroke.
Ovarian cancer.
Prostate cancer.
Breast cancer.
Anaemia.
Dementia.
Seizures.
Weakened immune systems.
Increased infections.
Heart problems.
Difficulty breathing.
Liver and kidney damage.
Gout.
Irritable bowel syndrome.
Restless leg syndrome.

If you have been diagnosed with any of these issues, even at the earliest stages, it is a clear sign that you must get your substance use or drinking habits in hand before the situation escalates.

You’ve Developed a Higher Tolerance

Drug addiction can affect anyone, and it occurs when a substance alters the normal functioning of the brain. Typically, these substances provide a sense of calm or a mood boost, which the brain and body become accustomed to and seek to replicate.

As time passes and more of the substance is used, the body and brain develop a tolerance, requiring higher doses to achieve the desired or pleasurable effects. When the substance is absent, withdrawal symptoms arise, indicating both dependence and tolerance.

If it’s taking you more of the drug (or other drugs) to achieve the same initial euphoria you felt at the beginning, or you’ve started to engage in more alcohol use to prevent feeling any more negative effects or consequences, this may be the warning sign of a potential addiction developing.

You Have Withdrawals When You Don’t Consume the Substance

Following on from the above, dependence can then lead to cravings and withdrawal symptoms when the substance is not available. The signs and symptoms will depend on the substance use disorder, but they can range from mild issues (such as trembling, sweating, and muscle spasms) to more severe complications (such as seizures, heart complications and hallucinations). This is a clear indication of addiction.

If you’ve attempted to quit using street drugs or alcohol before but struggled with challenging mental and physical symptoms, this is another strong signal that you might benefit from addiction recovery treatment.

Addiction treatment addresses physical dependence and behavioural and psychological symptoms, often incorporating medically assisted detox to provide appropriate medication support during the withdrawal process.

It’s worth noting that the withdrawal process can be dangerous. This is especially true for certain substances (e.g. heroin and alcohol) or for those with a severe addiction that has been going on for some time. If you experience extreme withdrawal symptoms, seek medical assistance immediately.

You’ve Started Prioritising Substance Abuse Over Relationships

Another hallmark of addiction is when the substance takes precedence over everything else in your life, including relationships, work, family, and health, as mentioned earlier. If you find that your substance use or thoughts about using the substance dominate your daily life, it’s a sign that you may require rehabilitation.

As addiction progresses, you may discover that you’re willing to go to great lengths to secure the substance, dedicating significantly more time, effort, and money to obtain it. This can result in neglecting your hobbies, home responsibilities, and relationships with friends and family.

If you’ve come to the realisation that you’re spending less time with your loved ones, missing important events or social obligations, and are instead focused on alcohol or substances, this is a clear indicator that you should consider seeking professional help for your addiction.

You Find It Hard to Stop

When someone is psychologically and physically dependent on substance use or alcohol use, they may find it impossible just to stop drinking or consuming other drugs.

Instead, they may justify their problems by saying that they can quit anytime they want and may even take part in things like ‘Sober October’ or Dry January’ as a way to ‘prove’ to themselves and others that they don’t have a problem. However, most people don’t feel the need to prove to others that they can go without a drink if they really can.

You may start thinking about wanting to quit, but with no idea how you can stop because the behaviour is now so deeply ingrained. This is the time to consider treatment options that can change your behaviour patterns and give you the tools and support that you need to get better.

If You Have Caused Harm to Yourself or Others Because of Alcohol or Drugs

This is a very clear sign that your drinking habits are causing problems. A lot of people make jokes about crazy nights out where someone got injured, or something dangerous happened, for example, but this is an indicator that something is wrong.

Remember, substance use or alcohol should never be used as an excuse for dangerous or damaging behaviour that you would never do when sober.

There is also the concern that alcohol can make you overly emotional or irrational, and some people with alcohol addiction have caused themselves deliberate harm when drinking. Again, if this is the case and you wouldn’t behave this way when sober, you may be considered high risk for a disorder and require help as soon as possible.

You’ve Started Lying About Your Drug or Alcohol Consumption

Perhaps you tell loved ones you don’t engage in drug use, or that you’ve only had a couple of glasses of wine when you’ve actually had a bottle. Regardless of how big or small, actively minimising your own drug use, abuse or alcohol intake can be taken as a clear indication that an addiction may be present.

Although it may be hard to digest, this should tell you that there is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. Typically, people don’t lie unless they’ve got something to hide, and they tend to hide things that they may feel shame about.

You’re Hiding the Evidence of Abusing Drugs and Alcohol

Similar to the potential signs of substance abuse and addiction raised above, regardless of whether it’s to co-workers, friends or family members, if you’re hiding the fact that you’re engaging in substance use, these are clear signs of drug abuse, addiction and/or alcohol addiction.

It can be difficult for some people to recognise that what they suffer from is an addiction. But if you’re trying to hide your drug use or alcohol consumption from friends and family, this could be a sign that you know you’re aware there is an issue with your drug usage. Perhaps you lie about how much you’ve drunk or exaggerate your symptoms to get another prescription – these are all signs that you may need rehab.

Likewise, if you hide your substance abuse from others, this also indicates a problem. Perhaps you hide bottles or take the bins out before people come over, or maybe you feel like you have a separate life that few know about. If you struggle to admit or talk about how much alcohol you are drinking or drugs you are taking, you could benefit from some help.

Your Loved Ones Are Concerned About You

Often, we find that people’s friends and families will mention something in jest that they actually want to talk about seriously to test the waters and see if they can discuss it with the person.

Even if your loved ones have only spoken to you about your drinking in a light-hearted way, the fact that they are mentioning it at all is a clear sign that there is an issue that is obvious to other people. Sometimes in life, it can be easier for other people to see your problems than it is for you because you are too close to them.

Often, it’s friends, family members or even employers who recognise that someone might be struggling with an addiction. This is because they may notice a change in mood or behaviour.

Maybe it’s a decline in personal hygiene, irritability that seems out of character, a lack of motivation that’s becoming obvious at work, or even simply that you appear as though you’re struggling. If someone mentioned this to you, you might benefit from professional help for addiction.

While these conversations may be difficult to hear and even upsetting, know that your friends, family and colleagues all want the best for you and are looking out for you.

How Drug and Alcohol Can Help

It is crucial that you get professional help when it comes to treating an addiction. As we highlighted earlier, if you are physically addicted to a drug or alcohol, then it can be dangerous or even fatal for you to go ‘cold turkey’.

In a rehab facility, you will be detoxed carefully and safely, under the watchful eye of trained medical staff, making your detox safer and less uncomfortable. Typically, people struggle with the detox process, but a rehab clinic will provide the best and most encouraging environment for healing.

What’s more, rehab doesn’t just offer medical intervention; it also offers psychological therapy sessions to help you get to the root of your addiction, which in turn teaches you how to overcome it once you have left rehab.

At Ocean Recovery Centre, you will work with trained professionals and use a range of healing methods, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), individual and group counselling, mindfulness techniques, massage, diet and nutrition help and so on.

Not only is this a secure, private, peaceful and luxurious environment in which to heal from your addiction, but you also learn all of the essential skills required to regain and maintain control.

Get Help With Ocean Recovery

Often, the only way to turn your back on addiction for good is to seek professional treatment – especially if any of the signs mentioned above apply to you.

At Ocean Recovery, we’re here for everyone affected by addiction – including the individual, their friends, family and even employers. So, whether you have any questions, want to kickstart an intervention or want to know what treatment is available close to you, why not get in touch with our friendly team? Your recovery could be closer than you think. Call us on 01253 847 553.

Our Rehab Facilities

At Ocean Recovery, we are extremely proud of our state-of-the-art facility. We provide residents with the most relaxing stay possible and they can enjoy our modern establishment.

Ocean Recovery Facilities include:

CQC Registered

FREE Transportation Included

Medically Assisted Detoxification

2 Executive, Sea View Double Ensuite Rooms

8 Double or Single Ensuite Rooms

3 Single Rooms with Dedicated Separate Bathroom

Comfortable Communal Lounge with Piano & Sky TV

Beautiful Modern Dining Lounge

External Courtyard and Outside Seating Area

12 Months FREE Aftercare

Regular Contact with Loved Ones Encouraged

Large Multi-Purpose Group Activity Room with Superb Sea Views

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John Gillen - Author - Last updated: October 16, 2023

John is one UK’s leading professionals in the addiction recovery industry. Pioneering new treatment techniques such as NAD+ and ongoing research into new therapy techniques such as systematic laser therapy, John is committed to providing the very best treatment for people throughout the UK and Europe. During his extremely busy schedule, John likes to regularly update our blog section with the latest news and trends in the industry to keep visitors to our site as well informed as possible on everything related to addiction treatment.