• The question in the title comes from a real person who just didn’t or couldn’t see what was going on right in front of his eyes. We don’t want this happening to you or a loved one!
• We’re here to help bring awareness to addiction so that it can be caught and healed in time – before an overdose.
• Death, from overdose, is sudden and occurs without warning.
• Believe it or not, even with addiction being a world-wide crisis, there are still a few that are clueless because they need to be educated.
• At this time, death from overdose is happening to the tune of 1 person dying every 7.5 minutes here in the US.
• One of the most important things we can do is to bring awareness and hope that people listen, especially when it comes to Rx drugs that doctors overprescribe.
• Addiction is NOT a disease. Being defined as a ‘disease’ is, and has always been, just an unproven theory. It is our opinion that it as a side effect of despair… a desperate way of coping with seemingly hopeless things in life beyond our control. Rapidly, this ‘coping’ mechanism spirals out of control into a lethal addiction which becomes out of our control as well.
• Addiction Recovery has become a mega industry, bringing in huge amounts of money, so propagating the ‘theory’ of disease perpetuates that income. If we want to get past it, we need to separate truth from theory.

Addiction

ADDICTION TAKES HOSTAGES!
There are many addictions in life. Some are chemical such as illegal street drugs, legal prescription drugs, and alcohol.
There are also behavioral addictions such as porn, sex, gambling, gaming, internet, anger & rage, abuse, shopping, and many, many more.

• Addiction is a long and dark road to hell. In fact, people of all faiths will all liken their addiction to being in hell with demons.
• Legal prescription drugs present the biggest challenge because they are physician prescribed, and no one wants to believe that the very doctor they trust could harm them.
• That said, doctors and medical treatments are now the #3 cause of death here in the US. It’s called Iatrogenic Death. Statistics don’t lie.

Signs & Symptoms to Look For

• They are unable to stop using and will suffer serious withdrawal if they don’t.
• Sleep habits change. They will either sleep excessively or have insomnia and be unable to sleep.
• With prescription drugs addiction, they will count their pills and go to extremes to secure their supply.
• Despite health problems created by their addiction, they still use.
• Missed days at work, coming to work late, and the inability to properly do their work, will lead to unemployment, with the expectation that their family members will support them.
• They will use their drug of choice more in stressful situations.
• They will spend more and more time obsessing over ways of securing their supply.
• They become risk takers in order to get their drugs… trading sex for drugs, stealing things in order to sell them for drug money, stealing money – especially from loved ones, engaging in activities they know are wrong – such as driving under the influence and speeding.
• They will continue to increase their dose in their unending and unsuccessful tries to feel the same high as they did in the beginning. This is often called, “Chasing the Dragon”.
• They will suffer severe mood changes that doctors often misdiagnose as psychiatric disorders rather than the effects of addiction. Doctors will then prescribe more and more dangerous drugs.
• They will sacrifice all that they enjoy in order to feed their addiction.
• They will drop their favorite hobbies and enjoyable activities in order to feed their addiction.
• Their energy is spent maintaining a good supply.
• They will isolate.
• They will be in denial that they have an addiction and feel that they can stop anytime they choose to.
• They will continue to increase their dose of drugs and alcohol despite the dangers of overdose and death.
• They will have stashes at home and in their car, often in secret places.
• Many times, they will have legal issues and arrests.
• Financial difficulties arise and they always need money just to sustain their life.
• Withdrawal symptoms: When levels of the substance to which a person has dependence drop below a certain level, they experience physical symptoms, depending on the substance. These include cravings, constipation, diarrhea, trembling, seizures, sweats, hallucinations, and uncharacteristic behavior, including violence.
• Appetite changes: Some substances alter a person’s appetite. Marijuana consumption, for example, might greatly increase their appetite while cocaine may reduce it. Food is often perceived as “tasting strange”.
• Damage or disease from using a substance: Smoking substances, for example, tobacco and crack, can lead to incurable respiratory diseases and lung cancers. Injecting illicit drugs can lead to limb damage and problems with veins and arteries, in some cases leading to the development of infection and possible loss of a limb. Regularly consuming excessive amount of alcohol can lead to chronic liver problems.
• Sleeplessness: Insomnia is a common symptom of withdrawal. Using illicit stimulants, such as speed or ecstasy, might also encourage a disrupted sleep cycle, as a person might stay up late for several nights in a row to go to parties and use the substance.
• A change in appearance: A person may begin to appear more disheveled, tired, and haggard, as using the substance or carrying out the addictive behavior replaces key parts of the day, including washing clothes and attending to personal hygiene.
• Increasing tolerance: The body experiences reduced effects of the substance over time, so a person feels the need to take more to achieve the same effect.
• A person might experience a few of these symptoms or many of them. Substance use disorder can have a drastically different impact on every individual.

What can we do?

• The biggest thing that we can do is to be keenly observant of our loved ones. Recognize changes in behavior and address them immediately – head on. Waiting is lethal, so don’t wait.
• Keep the channels of communication wide open, especially with teens.
• Make them feel safe to tell you how they feel, in a non judgmental manner.
• Be firm, but be loving. Let them know that there are consequences for using and it will NOT be tolerated in the home.
• Offer help and then get it for them.
• Understand that when someone is in withdrawal, they probably won’t hear what you have to say; they are only focused on scoring drugs or alcohol and getting high. Once they are high again, you may be able to get through to them more easily.
• Let your loved one know that you love them so much that you will do everything to get them professional help, BUT, you will do nothing tocontinue to fuel their addiction. That’s true love.
• NEVER look the other way, thinking this will resolve on its own. It won’t.