It can be difficult to be sure if you are addicted to opium as opposed to merely dependent on it. If you smoke or take opium often, you may certainly be addicted, but there are several important factors that can prove whether or not you will need treatment in order to stop. Most importantly, after you read this and answer the questions below, if you still feel that you may be addicted to opium, you should consult a doctor or a professional at a rehab center or call 800-584-3274 to speak with a professional.

What Causes Opium Addiction?

What causes a person to be addicted to opium instead of merely being dependent on or tolerant to the drug? Tolerance occurs when an individual starts to need more and more of the drug in order to feel the same effects they felt before. Dependence occurs when the individual does not feel normal without the drug. Dependence on opium will also cause the person to experience intense withdrawal symptoms if they try to stop taking it.

Even though both of these issues usually occur side-by-side with addiction, they can be experienced independently from addiction and by those who do not abuse opioid drugs but who take them as prescribed.

Opium addiction occurs after one becomes tolerant of the drug.

A person is addicted to opium if they cannot stop taking or smoking the drug on their own. According to the NIDA, “If one is addicted, they are most likely dependent as well,” but someone who is dependent can be weaned off the drug over time as their only treatment while someone who is addicted will need intense rehab treatment in order to stop abusing the drug.

Am I Addicted to Opium?

If you are concerned that you may be addicted to opium, ask yourself the following questions.

• Do I abuse opium every day?
• Do I feel unhappy, strange, abnormal, or not myself without it?
• Do I experience intense symptoms of withdrawal when I am unable to use it?
• Do I experience severe cravings for opium when I am not able to use it?
• Have I tried to quit or cut back on my opium use and been unable to?
• Do I use the drug even when I am alone?
• Do I have to use more and more opium each time in order to get the original effects I felt or the effects I want?
• Am I only doing opium to stave off withdrawal symptoms?
• Do I feel I need the drug to help me get through the day?
• Do I only spend time with other people who abuse opium?
• Have my friends, family members, and activities I used to enjoy become less important to me since I started doing drugs?
• Do I feel apathetic toward my job, school work, etc.?
• Do I want to smoke or use the drug above all other things?
• Do I feel that, if I wanted to quit opium, I wouldn’t be able to do so alone?

If you answered yes to the questions above, you are addicted to opium and need treatment. It is important to seek help as soon as possible and you can begin to recover from your drug abuse and addiction.