Addiction is a serious health problem that millions of people are facing at this very moment. It’s sad to say, but many of those people will never get the help they need to recover from severe addiction. Some will even die because of their substance abuse problems.

If you don’t want to be part of the statistics, you need to take charge of your life and put yourself on the path to recovery. It’s a long, hard road, but it all starts with you wanting to get clean and sober.

Keep reading to learn more about how you can start to recover today. There’s no time like the present when it comes fighting addiction.

Are You Addicted?

Many people, even addicts, don’t understand the signs of addiction & how to get help. The fact is that addiction doesn’t always make itself clear, and you could be confused about whether or not you’re even an addict. You’re not alone in that.

One of the most common signs of addiction is the tolerance that many addicts get when using drugs or drinking. Do you need to take considerably more of a drug or have many drinks before you notice the effects that used to come quickly? If so, your body has adjusted to regular use of a substance and there’s a good chance you’re an addict.

Another common and surefire sign of addiction is if you need to take drugs or drink alcohol simply to feel normal. Fighting withdrawal on a daily basis should tell you that you’re an addict, but even some people who suffer from it regularly don’t understand it as a sign of addiction.

People who are addicts also suffer at work and in their personal lives. Have you been fired or reprimanded for poor behavior? Do you have frequent problems or fights with friends, family and loved ones? Are they ever about drugs or when you are on drugs?

Another key ingredient in addiction is money problems. Do you spend so much on drugs or alcohol that you can’t pay your rent or have had to sell or pawn valuable possessions to get money for drugs?

These are just a few signs of addiction, and not everybody will experience all of them. That doesn’t mean you’re not an addict. Many people can function without problems – at least until everything comes crashing down on their head at once

Don’t let that be you.

Ask for Help

Before you can really start to get help for addiction, you need to let the people you know understand that you want them to be involved. Recovering from an addiction isn’t something that you can do alone.

Even if you’re embarrassed about your addiction, chances are the people in your life already know about it. Those you’ve managed to keep it from will likely be supportive of your decision to seek help.

Having friends and family in your corner is a much better way to go about recovery than trying to hide it. You might even find that your employer will help aid in your recovery if you disclose your addiction.

Understanding Recovery

A lot of addicts worry that recovery programs are going to be like jail or some sort of boot camp. Addiction is a serious illness and disease, and you won’t be treated like somebody who has done something wrong.

Just like anybody else with a medical issue, you need supervised help from professionals to get your life back on track. The boundaries in recovery are very clear as well, and you’ll likely benefit from a structured environment.

From group talk therapy to medical care for addiction, the recovery process isn’t one you should be afraid of.

Start Today

When it comes to addiction, putting off recovery is something many addicts do. They’ll do it tomorrow, the next day or when they can afford to take some time off work

Unfortunately, that doesn’t really work when you’re suffering from a serious addiction. The time is now, and the further into addiction you get, the harder it will be to recover.

Make plans to enter recovery right now, not in the future. Even if it takes a few days to get into a rehabilitation center, you should be planning on attending within the week, not some time down the road.

That simply isn’t good enough if you really want to beat your addiction. You might even do serious damage to your health and mental well-being if you wait even a few days longer.