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Is it Time for Treatment?

How do you know if a friend or loved one needs treatment for an addiction? There are clear signs that can let you know if it's time to get professional help.

After all the family time the holidays can bring, you may have noticed some areas of concern that weren't clear before spending concentrated time together. If you did see some warning signs, what do you do? No one wants to believe their loved one has a problem, but addiction - whether it's drug abuse, alcohol, food or something else - is a very serious matter, often requiring professional help.

So how do you know when you or a loved one needs help? And what do you do once you've determined there is a problem?

Many of us aren't even sure how to define addiction, let alone treat it. Would you define addiction as a moral weakness? A lack of willpower? An inability to face the world? A physical illness? A spiritual sickness? All of the above?

In fact, addiction is a disease that is emotional, mental, physical and spiritual in nature. But knowing what addiction is and spotting it in others are two different things. Individuals and situations vary, but addiction has specific warning signs that are often the same from case to case.

Warning Signs of Addiction or Abuse

• Patterns of absences, particularly on Mondays and Fridays
• Disappearing during parts of the day
• Taking long lunch breaks, offering vague excuses
• Never being fully present, always seeming distracted
• Being dishonest, secretive, seeming to hide things or cover up
• Acting overly defensive
• Deterioration in any area of their life or work
• Changing friends
• Suffering from recurring illnesses
• Conflicts with co-workers/marital problems

• Inappropriate behavior, embarrassing moments at work functions or other celebrations

Getting Addiction Help

Once you realize there is a problem, there are a number of ways to seek help for someone you believe is struggling with an addiction.

1. Start by expressing your concern in a non-threatening way. Remember, this issue is a health problem and should be treated like one. From there, provide access to resources.
2. You can also propose a professional evaluation to determine the degree of the problem and then help identify a correct course of treatment.
3. Finally, identify a professional interventionist to assist you in developing an appropriate approach to getting help for someone you feel is a danger to themselves or others.

Intervention Help

If you need help with an alcohol or drug intervention for a friend or loved one, call The Canyon at the toll-free number on our homepage. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day.