It can be hard to realize you are self-medicating if you believe the behaviors are normal and everyone does them. Pretend that you had a rough day at work where your boss yelled at you for something that wasn’t your fault. You may go to the local bar to have a drink and calm your nerves. Pretend that you are having sleep issues because of some trauma flashbacks and take a Xanax to get back to sleep. Pretend that you are becoming overwhelmed with the kids, so you drop them off at the grandparents’ house and light a joint when you get home. For a short period of time, these coping mechanisms may work. However, using them long term can lead to negative consequences. Recognizing that you are self-medicating is only the first step, you need to know what to do next. This can save you from more negative consequences from your actions and get you on the road to healing.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, self-medication can be described as taking prescription medications, alcohol, or illicit drugs to cope with stressful situations in life. Oftentimes, the person may not realize when their self-medicating gets out of hand, thus resulting in unintended negative consequences.
Self-medicating and addiction can often go hand in hand because the situation begins as turning to alcohol, drugs, or prescription medications to cope with stressful situations in life. This lack of using healthy coping strategies can lead a person to become more dependent on the substances they are using to medicate themselves over time. As the person continues using these to cope with life’s stressors, they will build a tolerance to the substance they are taking. This will require them to consume more of the substance to achieve the same high they felt when they first began. Over time, this substance abuse can evolve into a full-blown addiction. The cycle continues, causing more problems over time, which causes the person to continue using to deal with the negative consequences of their actions. It is not uncommon, therefore, for addiction to start with an individual who is self-medicating.
Recognizing the signs of what self-medicating looks like and being able to identify them in your own life can open your eyes to the reality of the situation you are in. It can be difficult to realize you are self-medicating because you may think that you don’t drink or use enough for it to be considered a problem. However, it can be difficult to face your problems head-on, and most often denial occurs when you are self-medicating because you don’t want to believe anything is wrong. Here are signs that you may be self-medicating.
Bad things happen to people every once in a while. If your long-term relationship ends, you may search for something to make you feel better in the moment. However, this is entirely different if you are using drugs or alcohol to cope with daily troubles such as stress, anger, depression, anxiety, etc. This is a major sign of self-medication.
Let’s say that you find yourself in a particularly stressful situation. If you find yourself upset or anxious that you can’t drink or use drugs to cope with the stress, this can show that you are becoming dependent on the substances. You are constantly waiting for the next time you can get drunk or high.
Taking drugs or consuming alcohol may improve your symptoms for a little while. However, it is common for these symptoms to actually become worse after the effects of drugs and alcohol wear off. Add on top of this the chronic health problems that come from long-term substance use. If you find yourself feeling down most of the time and craving substances to deal with these feelings, you are probably self-medicating.
Let’s say that you’ve been coping with the troubles of life by drinking or using drugs for an extended period of time. This has most likely caused problems and changes within your life. Others have probably taken notice and may have approached you with their concerns. This can be a wake-up call to show you that what you are doing is not okay and you need help.
Over time, you will probably realize that drugs or alcohol simply aren’t working anymore. You may not even get the same relaxed feeling you used to with the substances, so coping by using them just isn’t working anymore. At this point, you should reach out for help. It is very likely your self-medicating has turned into an addiction. Seeking help can heal you by addressing not only your addiction but also any mental disorders that may be underlying. Treatment will give you the best chance at healing and recovery because it treats your individual concerns, teaching you coping strategies that are healthy and will lead you to a more happy life.
Self-medicating is commonly a slippery slope that leads to substance abuse, dependency, and addiction. Many people may not realize they are self-medicating because they tell themselves that they are only consuming drugs or alcohol for that purpose when something bad happens in their lives. However, there is a difference between using drugs and alcohol to calm down when something negative happens in your life, such as a breakup or losing a job, but when self-medicating is every day to deal with stressors, it becomes a problem. Using drugs and alcohol to cope with negative emotions is never recommended, which is why once you realize you need help, you should reach out. At Northstar Transitions, we have seen how self-medicating can turn into an addiction. We want to help you heal and get sober to live a happier, healthier life. Call us today for information about our addiction treatment at (303) 558-6400.
