You have an addiction when you have a physical or psychological "need" for drugs such as alcohol, prescription medications, or "street" drugs (for example, cocaine or marijuana). You may not know you have a problem until you try to stop using the drug.
• Avoid problems with alcohol by having no more than one or two drinks a day of beer, wine, or hard liquor, depending on your size and risk factors. If you are pregnant, abstain from alcohol completely.
• Don’t use alcohol or drugs to deal with depression, anxiety, or loneliness. Try non-drug alternatives.
• Be cautious when using painkillers, tranquilizers, sedatives, and sleeping pills. Don’t take more than your doctor recommends and don’t take them any longer than is really necessary.
• If you think you may have a problem, get in touch with your health professional or a self-help group such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous.
• Give yourself the following self-test to see if your drinking or drug use is serious enough to need outside help. If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, you may have a problem that needs attention.
