The biggest challenge that most drug and alcohol addicts face is admitting that they have a problem in the first place. However, once you admit that you need help, you are already on your way to recovery. Even so, the new challenge is to determine what kind of help you want in order to get sober. More specifically, you want to decide whether you need rehab. If you think that you definitely need help getting sober, especially from highly addictive substances such as heroin and other opioids, then rehab is the answer for you. If you are uncertain about whether or not your addiction is severe enough to need rehab, here are a few things that you should consider:

Determining the Severity of Your Addiction

If your daily life and personal relationships are being impacted by your addiction, then chances are you have an addiction. It is important to note that addiction is determined on a spectrum, ranging from mild to moderate to severe. There are eleven criteria, including:

1. Lack of control
2. Desire to quit but failing to
3. Spending the majority of your time trying to get the substance
4. Cravings
5. Shirking responsibilities
6. Problems with relationships
7. Loss of interest
8. Harmful use
9. Making situations worse
10. High tolerance
11. Severe withdrawal symptoms

The more these criteria apply to you, the more severe your addiction is. For example, if you only identify with two of these criteria, then it means that your addiction is mild. Even so, it is still a good idea to seek professional help to get sober.

Reasons Why Your Friends Don’t Acknowledge Your Addiction

The people around you also influence how you perceive your addiction. For instance, you may be positive that you have an addiction, but your friends keep telling you that you don’t. If this happens to you, you need the ask yourself the following questions:

Do They Also Use the Substances?

If your friends are also using these substances, then it is likely that they would not tell you the truth for fear of losing a friend to party with. Also, these people often have a problem with addiction themselves, but they are still unable to come to terms with it.

Have You Told Them About Your Substance Use Before?

Most addicts are too ashamed to be open about their substance use with their friends. If you have never shared this part of your life with them before, then they most likely have no idea about the problem. This is why they may not see it as big of a problem as it actually is. However, you should take this opportunity to completely open up to them about your addiction and what you are struggling with. After all, their support will come in handy during your journey to recovery.

Would They Want to Risk Their Friendship With You?

If your relationship with your friends is not the best, you may not be comfortable telling them that you have an addiction problem. Your friends may choose to not acknowledge the problem as they don’t want to completely ruin the friendship, particularly if the relationship has not been solid to begin with.

The Bottom Line

Remember, your addiction can go from mild to severe in a short span of time. You should start viewing addiction as a chronic and progressive disease, similar to cancer. For example, if you are diagnosed with stage 1 cancer, your condition will get worse if you did not receive proper treatment. The point is that you do not have to wait before you hit rock bottom to seek treatment.