Am I An Addict?

No-one can tell you whether or not you are an addict - this is something you must decide for yourself. We can only describe our experience of addiction and our knowledge of the condition.

Physical dependency on a drug is not the same as addiction. Many of us did not use drugs every day, but when we did 'pick up', we found we could not control the amount we took. A physical compulsion caused us to use far more than we intended at the outset. We felt as though we had no 'off-switch'. We could not regulate our using. When we tried to quit, it was only a matter of time until we started again. When separated from drugs, we found that we could not stop thinking about them. Sometimes the mental obsession was so overpowering that we found ourselves using drugs again, against our own will.

When you take drugs, do you have little or no control over the amount you use?

Do you find it impossible to stay stopped?

Do you use drugs in order to cope with life? To suppress feelings that you cannot otherwise deal with?

If any of the symptoms described match your experience, you may well be an addict.