Addiction can really take a toll on someone’s life and the longer a person gets addicted to a substance or a behavior, the more destruction it can cause to the person’s overall health, specifically his or her psychological health. This is one of the reasons why it is very important to know the different symptoms and effects of addiction to get the help you or some you know needs, as early as possible.
The Symptoms
Below are symptoms of addiction that can generally cause mental health issues.
- Abusive use of addictive substances. The user continues to regularly take the substance, despite having developed clinical illnesses. A smoker, for example, will continue to smoke three to five packs of smoke after developing a heart or lung disease. The individual addicted to the substance may or may not be aware of the negative impact of the substance or behavior on their health.
- Obsession. People who have become obsessed with substances will spend most of their time and energy looking for ways to get and use the substance they are craving. Some will go so far that they would sell their belongings or even steal just to buy drugs.
- Taking large doses of a substance. An individual who has substance addiction may rapidly take high doses of drugs or alcohol until they reach the satisfaction they desire.
- Use of the substance when dealing with problems. Many people with addiction regularly feels the need to drink alcohol, take drugs, or accomplish a behavior to deal with their problems.
- Inability to stop using the substance. Most of the time, many have tried to stop their addiction to alcohol, nicotine, and other substances, and many times they failed. This is related to the psychological effects of addiction, specifically drugs and alcohol, because they are chemically addictive and can cause painful withdrawal symptoms.
The Effects
There is an overwhelming number of physical effects of addiction and they can easily change an individual from having a healthy and active lifestyle to acquiring multiple diseases. The most common long-term mental health problems associated with addiction, specifically drug abuse, include depression, anxiety, and paranoia.