You probably know the term addiction. Someone is usually described as an addict if they have a psychological or physical dependence on something. You might also have a situation where someone is both psychologically and physically addicted to drugs, alcohol, or something else.
You might spend time at the Everlast Recovery Addiction Center if you’re grappling with addiction. You may also decide a family member needs to go there if they’re clearly letting their substance use get out of control.
You should realize, though, that there’s a spectrum of substance addiction. It’s worth talking about, so let’s take a moment to do so.
Regular Substance Use
Let’s discuss substance addiction rather than something like sex addiction. If you’re talking about the addiction spectrum and where a loved one lands on it, you may see they’re in a place where they use a substance like alcohol or a drug of choice regularly.
They may not use it daily. They might use it every other day, or perhaps they binge with it mainly on the weekends.
They may not qualify as being totally addicted. If they can’t have alcohol or their drug of choice, they may not like it very much, but they can still function. They’re in potentially dangerous territory at this stage, but they may still be able to find an equilibrium and live a more or less normal life.
Partial Dependence: The Path to Addiction
Your family member may reach a point where they’re partially dependent on alcohol or their chosen drug. They’re likely to use it daily, though they may still have enough self control so that they can hold down a job and conduct themselves with some degree of responsibility and good judgment.
You may also hear the term functional addict used to describe this part of the spectrum. Your family member may be able to avoid shutting down entirely if they don’t have access to alcohol or whatever drug they prefer, but they are perilously close to that point.
Total Dependence
Total dependence on a substance is another way of saying that someone is completely addicted to it. You may have never seen this situation up close, but if someone in your family gets to that point, you will learn to recognize it very quickly.
Someone who is totally dependent on a substance can’t go for very long without it. They might last a few hours, but you will see them go into visible withdrawal if they are deprived of it for too long.
If you’re dealing with an alcoholic, they will have the DTs if they can’t have a drink every few hours to maintain a baseline. It’s the same with other drugs. It can be scary and disheartening to see someone in this condition. You’re seeing what this substance has done to your family member, and it’s probably going to distress you.
If you have a family member in the early stages of addiction, keep an eye on them. Things could rapidly get worse.
