As your body becomes used to drugs or alcohol, you need more and more of it to have the same “high” feeling. This need for more is actually growing addiction.

You may have a drinking problem if you:

• Regularly drink more than you intended to.
• Drink ‘to get drunk’.
• Feel guilty or ashamed about your drinking.
• Lie to others about how much you drank or hide your drinking habits.
• Have friends or family members who are worried about your drinking.
• Need to drink to relax or feel better.
• “Black out” or forget what you did while you were drinking.

Ask yourself some questions:

• Do you ever use alcohol or drugs to relax, to feel better about yourself, or to fit in?
• Do you ever use alcohol or drugs when you are alone?
• Do you ever forget things you did while using alcohol or drugs?
• Do family or friends ever tell you to slow down on your use of alcohol or drugs?
• Have you ever got into trouble while you were using alcohol or drugs?
• If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these, you may have a substance abuse problem.

If you cannot control the urge to take drink alcohol or take drugs, then you are addicted. Get help to break the addiction. Don’t let substances mess up your future.