Addiction is a serious and very real issue that affects millions of people each year. People who struggle with addiction experience strong behavioral and psychological impulses surrounding substance use, including cravings, compulsive use, and inability to stop even in the face of dire consequences. Many people do not realize that addiction is a neurological disease, which results in changes to brain structure and functioning, affecting things like: memory, judgment, learning abilities, behavioral control, stress reactions, and decision-making. Addiction may be hard to spot. Some signs of potential addiction include:

• Significant amount of time and energy spent acquiring the substance
• Inability to quit or reduce use, even if desired
• Reduced work or school performance
• Social withdrawal or relationship issues due to substance use
• Developed tolerance to substance, requiring higher and higher doses
• Physical withdrawal symptoms after attempts to quit or reduce use

Here at Aurora Health teatment centers in North Carolina, we believe that people living with substance abuse addictions deserve to be treated with patience, kindness, and support. Working with North Carolina substance abuse experts, in a compassionate and positive environment, may help those hoping to be free from addiction.