How do I know when I need help?
You may have been taking drugs or drinking alcohol for some time and feel that you have been coping well. Not everyone who uses drugs or alcohol needs help. However, there may come a time when your drinking or drug use has become problematic or out of control and you need to seek professional help
There are a number of factors that you can measure yourself against, to help you to decide if you need help.
This list will not apply to everyone and there may be factors in your life that indicate that you have a problem that do not appear here, everyone deals with using drugs and or alcohol in different ways.
This guide can also be used by a parent or a friend who wants to help an individual.
Ask yourself the following questions:
If you answer ‘yes’ to more than one question, it may be wise to seek help now:
- Do you spend a lot of your day thinking about taking drugs or having your next drink?
- Do you find that you need more and more drugs or alcohol to get the same feeling?
- Are you tired all the time but can’t relax or sleep?
- Do you suffer from bad mood swings and bouts of depression?
- Do you put yourself at risk by engaging in risky behaviours, such as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, starting fights, or engaging in unprotected sex?
- Are you borrowing money from family or friends, selling possessions, or stealing, so you have money to buy drugs?
- Have you dropped out of college or school?
- Are you frequently late to work or taking sick days, due to drinking or drug use?
- Do you find that you prefer your own company to being with others, even friends?
- Are the people you hangout with also using drugs or drinking a lot?
- Do you experience nausea, tremors or sweats?
- Do you notice that you have become forgetful?
- Do you feel paranoid or suffer from blackouts, flashbacks or delusions?
- If people say they care or worry about you, do you think they are interfering?
- Are you taking care of yourself personally: eating well, washing yourself, wearing clean clothes?