To most people, the title might be a little silly. Surely it isn’t hard to tell when you are addicted to something? The truth is that it isn’t as easy as you may think. In fact, it can be very difficult, especially when you are closing your eyes to the blatant truth. In some extreme cases, there are examples of functioning addicts who seem as normal as the next person on the outside. If you think you may be forming an addiction, here are the signs.
Importance
How important is it to your life? It is the first question to ask and usually the simplest way to gauge your addiction. If you cannot function without it, you are falling into addiction, or you are already in its grips. To figure out its importance, work out how much you are doing the activity on a day to day basis. Or, on the flip side, ask yourself how much is it stopping you from doing other activities?
Prevalence
Are you doing it more and for longer than before? When you start doing it more and more, it is becoming more prevalent in your life. Quite simply, it is starting to take over and that is when it becomes an issue. That is when it becomes a compulsion because you are never satisfied with just the basic amount – you always want more. When you catch yourself saying ‘just a little bit more’, that is when it is starting to get out of control.
The Rewards
Do you feel better once you have finished the activity? In fact, a better the question is, do you feel like you have a better quality of life? Or, does not doing it make you feel worse? If the answer is yes, it means you need the addiction for your life to feel good or to have a meaning. The experts at Adderall Addiction Support believe this is hard to see because the rewards mask the negative consequences.
Interruption
The saying goes that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Well, in the case of addiction, it is in the non-eating. When your addiction is interrupted, how does that make you feel? Also, how does it make you feel when you think about an interruption? These are signs that your body is so reliant on the substance or activity that you cannot do without, no matter the situation. If anxiety is enough to bring on a panic attack, you have an issue.
Disruption
Addictions disrupt people’s’ lives. In some rare cases, there are addicts who can normally function in the public eye. But, for the most part, your reliance will affect every facet of your life, especially your relationships. Addiction makes it almost impossible for you to maintain a healthy and loving relationship as it’s the most important thing in your life. In this case, most significant others will not put up with coming second best.
Do any of the above raise alarm bells in your head? Do you think you may be an addict? If the answer is yes, seek help immediately.
