Did you know a lot of people are struggling with different forms of substance abuse today? Substance abuse occurs when a person’s use of alcohol or another substance leads to health issues or problems at work, school or home. That’s why, if you need to seek help for alcohol abuse in Washington, don’t hesitate to speak to a counselor today.
That in mind, let’s explore the signs of alcohol addiction together.
Help for Alcohol Abuse in Washington – What Do The National Statistics Say?
Before we look at the signs of alcohol addiction, we want to explain why this is such an important topic of discussion. The American Addiction Centers did a study on various addictions in 2017 and found the following with regards to alcohol.
- In 2017 there where approximately 14.5 million American over the age of 12 that battled alcohol abuse. This is approximately 5,3% of the population.
- Over half of all American adults have a family history of drinking problems.
- More than 10% of American children have parents that live with alcohol problems.
- Approximately 88 000 people die from alcohol-related problems every year.
The list of scary facts goes on and on. But let’s go back to our initial question that focused on how you can identify if someone in your family or yourself might show signs of alcohol addiction and may need help for alcohol abuse in Washington.
What Are The Signs of Alcohol Addiction?
Substance abuse can cause a wide variety of problems and with that in mind, we have identified eleven possible criteria that you should look out for when you think someone has an alcohol addiction.
- You are taking the substance in larger amounts or for longer than you’re meant to.
- You want to cut down or stop using the substance but are not managing to so.
- You are spending a lot of time getting, using, or recovering from use of the substance.
- You have cravings and urges to use the substance.
- You are not managing to do what you should at work, home, or school because of substance use.
- You are continuing to use the substance even when it causes problems in relationships.
- You are giving up important social, occupational, or recreational activities because of substance use.
- You are using substances again and again, even when it puts you in danger.
- You continue to use the substance even when you know you have a physical or psychological problem that could have been caused or made worse by the substance.
- You need more of the substance to get the effect you want (tolerance).
- You develop withdrawal symptoms, which can be relieved by taking more of the substance.
The Need to Seek Help for Alcohol Abuse in Washington
The DSM-5 is the standard classification of mental disorders which is used by mental health professionals in the United States and it allows clinicians to specify how severe or how much of a problem your substance abuse is depending on the symptoms identified.
Based on the above list, you can rate your substance abuse by the number of answers that you said yes to.
- Two or three symptoms indicate a mild substance use disorder.
- Four or five symptoms indicate a moderate substance use disorder.
- Six or more symptoms indicate a severe substance use disorder.
If you are concerned about your results or the results of a family member, please contact us today to get help for alcohol abuse in Washington. You are not definitely alone, we at Sage Counseling and Coaching are here to walk the road to recovery with you.