The family, friends and peers of an addict often carry the burden of identifying the addiction and initiating the proper recourse. Has the person recently been demoted or fired from their job? Are their personal relationships suffering? Is their health in jeopardy? Please view the following lists of addiction warning signs to better understand when intervention and rehabilitation are necessary. Any single instance or combination of instances can potentially indicate an addiction.
Drug Addiction Warning Signs
Sex Addiction Warning Signs
Gambling Addiction Warning Signs
Alcoholism Warning Signs
Self-harm Addiction Warning Signs
Drug Addiction Warning Signs
- Prone to clumsy accidents
- New circle of friends
- Frequently asking to borrow money
- Money has gone missing without explanation
- Demotion, termination or decreased performance at work
- Lack of focus or motivation
- Fearful, paranoid behavior
- Hyperactivity or excitability
- Unexplainable mood swings
- Slurring of words
- Changing (typically declining) personal appearance
- Unpleasant change in body odor or breath
- Noticeable change in appetite
- Pupils appear to be a different size than usual
- Eyes are red or bloodshot
- Inconsistent weight
- Unstable sleep patterns
- Clothing emits a strange smell
- Fluctuating personal hygiene
- Lacking coordination and / or energy
- Unrecognizable personality (ongoing or occasional)
- Prone to extreme irritability or agitation
- Habitually breaks from company and returns with a different attitude
- Noticeably anxious
- Anger control issues
- Attendance at work or school has declined
- Financial issues or strange spending habits
- Any questionable or suspicious behavior
- Socially inconsistent
- Seizures or uncontrollable shaking
Sex Addiction Warning Signs
- Tries to exert control over peers and distances self from those who resist
- Regularly seeks time alone
- Has had sexual affairs or is anticipated to have them in the future
- Stays at the computer or TV late into the night
- Makes undisclosed cash withdrawals or purchases
- Demeanor or attitude changes after sex (directing positive or negative feelings toward their partner)
- Is demanding or manipulative to get sex
- A change in the frequency or energy level of sex with significant other
- Keeps pornographic material in personal space
- Uses pornographic pictures or videos during sex
- Sex with this person feels disconnected or impersonal
- Controlling or aggressive behavior during sex
- Reacts in a volatile way when denied sex
- Phone bill contains unidentified phone numbers
- Deliberately waking up early to be at the computer or TV
- Repeatedly comes home late from work
- Frequent unexplainable absences from daily events
- Exhibits feelings of depression or distraction
- Prone to dishonesty, manipulation or making excuses
Gambling Addiction Warning Signs
- Irritability or restlessness when not gambling
- A decrease in patience
- Gambling continues even when funds are depleted
- Has become secretive about finances
- Large, unexplained cash withdrawals
- Gambling has become an escape from life challenges
- Incessant gambling until losses are regained
- Becomes defensive when behavior is questioned
- Interest in gambling has increased
- Dishonest about, secretive or in denial of their addiction
- Promises of quitting have been broken
- Use of gambling to cope with depression
- Obsessed and immersed when gambling
- Repetitive financial transactions from one location
- Noticeable absences from work or other responsibilities
- Prone to volatile mood swings
- More than one person has expressed concern
Alcoholism Warning Signs
- Prone to headaches
- Unpleasant breath, body odor or apparel odor
- Has received complaints from coworkers
- Declining personal hygiene or physical appearance
- Aggressive or violent when intoxicated
- Daily alcohol consumption
- Alcohol is a frequent conversation topic
- Uses language such as “I need a drink” rather than “I want a drink”
- Attempts to keep their drinking a secret
- Depends on alcohol for relaxation
- Frequently drinks alone rather than socially
- Habitual dishonesty
- Uncontrollable shaking (particularly in the morning)
Self-harm Addiction Warning Signs
- Unable to express emotions in a healthy way
- Prone to low self-esteem or depression
- Wears clothes that cover up limbs in every kind of weather
- Visible scarring, bruising, scratching or rubbed skin anywhere on the body (could have been inflicted with or without the use of a tool)
- Tends to be very self-critical and / or self-punishing
- Anger may seem too contained or non-existent
- May also exhibit an eating disorder or an obsessive-compulsive disorder
