Addiction and DepressionAddiction and Depression Addiction and depression it may be difficult to tell which caused what. Depression is a clinical term, therefore we do not offer this discussion as the definitive description of depression, as that is best left to a professional. Rather, we will talk about what appears to be depression to give you an idea of the signs and symptoms. Is it depression, or does someone just have the “blues?”
One Thing Leads to Another One thing can lead to another. In the case of addiction, the presence of depression could have come before the addiction, or come as a result of the addiction. Whatever the case, addiction and depression are often found together. When you look at the signs of drug abuse, you’ll find that users often lose interest in activities that they used to love, or they lose interest in family and friends. There are signs of drug addiction. However, these are also signs of depression, and you can see that the two can be closely linked. We include depression mainly because drug addiction recovery is a long distance run, not the 100 yard dash. Why do people use? I see addiction from a spiritual/psychological angle, but obviously there are important medical concerns. I want to encourage you to seek professional help should any of the possible symptoms be true in your life. You could be suffering from addiction and depression. Here is a checklist of questions to ask yourself about possible symptoms that may point to addiction and depression: Have you lost enjoyment in any activities that you have enjoyed previously, such as hobbies, people, sex, work? Have your sleep habits changed? Do you have trouble sleeping, or maybe you sleep too much? Do you feel empty or useless? Are you sad? Have your eating habits changed? Have you lost or gained weight without apparent reason? Are you angry, irritable or restless? Do you have difficulty focusing on tasks, or completing tasks? Is it getting difficult for you to make decisions? Are you out of energy, tired all the time? Are things in your life hopeless? Do you feel guilty? Have you thought of harming yourself or perhaps committing suicide? If you can relate to five or more of these possible symptoms, or if you know somebody to fits these symptoms, please seek the help of a professional. There are many people who can be of assistance. Naturally most people think of discussing this with their family doctor, but there are counselors, psychologists, psychotherapists, chaplains and pastors, and other healthcare professionals. Depression can be caused by several factors. In our discussion about various drugs, we talked about neurotransmitters and one of the possible causes for depression is the malfunctioning of these brain chemicals.
Drugs can cause an alteration in brain chemistry, leading to depression. It could be a combination of factors, but other possibilities include other chronic illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease. It might be a hormonal imbalance of some kind. Just the way a person thinks can send them down the path of depression. For example, if a person has a negative self-image or they are by nature pessimistic, or if they have feelings of helplessness, all of that can contribute to depression.
You may have a predisposition to addiction and depression. There is also the possibility of a genetic predisposition to addiction and depression. If your mother was depressed, or if others in your family were depressed, that increases your chances of experiencing depression. Finally, if a person experiences a series of negative events in their life, that can also be a factor. If a person loses a loved one, or experiences a trauma, or loses his/her job, that can be a contributing cause of addiction and depression.
Remember, we are body, mind and spirit. In drug addiction and depression, the body might crave the drugs, the mind becomes altered because of the drugs and the spirit is crushed by the drugs. Depression might have precipitated the drug use, or the depression might have come about because of the drug use. Whatever the case, depression is a serious condition, but there is help out there.
HOW TO USE THIS SITE:This site contains five MAIN pages that EVERYONE should read: Read these five pages and learn what you need to know to spot drug addiction in: Yourself... Your Family... Your Friends... Your Community... The rest of the pages are there for your reference to explain important topics in more detail.  You Can Be ADDICTION FREE FOREVER!Are you or your loved one struggling with addiction?YOU MUST TAKE ACTION NOW! Use this at-home guide to End Addiction Forever:Click here for details!
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