How You Talk About Your Substance Use May Be Your First Clue You Have a Problem

People who need help with their drug or alcohol use represent all ages, races, genders and walks of life, but there’s one thing they have in common: None of them set out to become an addict.

Instead, their loss of control crept up on them until, much like the story of the frog in the slowly heating pot of water, they came to realize too late how much trouble they were in.

Each person’s progression from casual to problem use is unique, but it often unfolds along these lines:

At first, your drinking or drug use seems like a positive. It feels good and it fills a need, whether to make you more social, help you relax, boost your confidence, or allow you to escape the noise in your head for a few blessed moments. But as you use, your brain chemistry and circuitry change and you become less able to feel the same sense of pleasure or relief. That means more of the substance is needed to get the effect you’ve come to count on.