Am I an addict is a question that everyone who struggles with addiction has wrestled with at one point or another. It can be a very hard question to answer. In fact, part of what happens when we are struggling with addiction is our mind tries incredibly hard to come up with all sorts of reasons it might not be addiction we are dealing with to keep us in this cycle. This can take a variety of forms including thoughts like: “so and so was truly an addict. X, Y, and Z happened to them and that hasn’t happened to me so I don’t really have a problem” or “I don’t drink every day so I’m not an alcoholic” and so many other thoughts like this!
So what might help those who are asking themselves this hard question of am I an addict get some real perspective? I think it’s important to take a step back and realistically look at what the impact of using drugs and alcohol has been on your life. Some questions it might be helpful to ask yourself include: Do you feel like you drink and use in spite of bad things happening because of your drinking/using? Have you noticed the amount you drink/use increasing? Do you feel like you don’t do some of the things you use to enjoy anymore? Do you feel like you are spending a lot of time getting drugs/alcohol, using drugs/alcohol, or recovering from the effects of drugs/alcohol? There are many other questions it may be helpful to ask yourself, but this will hopefully give you a good start. If you find yourself answering yes to some of these questions, it might be time to think about getting some help and support around this issue.
It’s hard to come to the realization that our use of drugs and alcohol may be problematic. For most people, it’s not something that happens quickly, and for some people, this realization doesn’t come until after years and years of struggling and consequences. That said, the sooner we can recognize that our use may be a problem and get help and support around that, the better. It may be going to AA, NA, therapy, outpatient or inpatient treatment, or a combination of the above, but having help and support is key in overcoming struggles with addiction.
Questions about addiction or recovery? Please feel free to get in touch!