Drug Addiction

What is Drug Addiction?

Addiction—to prescription and street drugs and alcohol —is a serious problem. If you’re worried that you or a loved one may have an addiction,

there are signs to help you know.

Signs you may have a drug problem:

• You keep taking a drug after it's no longer needed for a health problem.
• You need more and more of a substance to get the same effects (called "tolerance"), and you can take more before you feel an effect.
• You feel strange when the drug wears off. You may be shaky, depressed, sick to your stomach, sweat, or have headaches. You may also be tired or not hungry. In severe cases, you could even be confused, have seizures, or run a fever.
• You can't stop yourself from using the drug, even if you want to. You are still using it even though it's making bad things happen in your life, like trouble with friends, family, work, or the law.
• You spend a lot of your time thinking about the drug: how to get more, when you'll take it, how good you feel, or how bad you feel afterward.