Are you worried that a loved one may be suffering from an addiction? When you approach that person are you challenged with a denial? If you answered ‘yes’ to both questions, you are not completely powerless to act. There are tell-tale signs to watch out for that would indicate your loved one is an addict.

In the event your loved one is suffering from an addiction, please understand that it is a condition that could eventually kill. Offering support and encouragement to this person, based on the understanding that you will also be seeking out treatment and other forms of help, could be just the thing that motivates the individual to take the kind of action that will save his or her life.

Here is a partial list of the most common signs and symptoms of an addiction:

• Finding empty bottles or drug paraphernalia hidden around the house

• Your loved one smelling of alcohol during the day • Your loved avoiding eye contact with you

• Unexplained bloating in the face and abdomen • General evasiveness and increasing isolation

• Missed appointments or poor performance at work/school • Neglect of personal appearance and diet

• Binge drinking; drinking to unconsciousness • Personality changes

• Drinking first thing in the morning and the last thing at night • Taking alcohol to bed

• Disappearing/remaining out of contact for long periods of time

• Being defensive or excessively reassuring about habits

This list is by no means an exhaustive one. Furthermore, the fact that a person exhibits one or two of these signs or symptoms does not guarantee an addictive condition exists. If two or more are present, there is a strong possibility the person is either an addict or on the way to becoming one; treatment should be sought immediately.