It’s that time of year again: vacation time! Who are we kidding? Any time is a good time for vacation. Each and every one of us needs a break from time to time. A getaway from reality is essential to rebooting our human systems so that we can return to our lives and perform better at work, school, and home.
However, it’s possible to be traveling with someone who is already experiencing what they think is a getaway with drugs or alcohol. How can you tell and what should you do if you encounter it? Below are some suggestions.
Withdrawal Symptoms
When traveling, most people check and double check to make sure they have brought everything they need to sustain them through their journey. Toothbrushes, clothes, and everything needed to operate essential electronics usually makes the cut.
However, if you are traveling with an addict, you will find many differences between your list and theirs. An addict’s list may include enough of their drug of choice to make it through the trip, paraphernalia needed to take the drugs, and ways to hide everything involved.
With that said, if your travel companion forgets the items needed to sustain their high, you may notice withdrawal symptoms within a few hours of your trip. They may experience uncontrollable shaking, more than their fair share of bathroom trips, profuse sweating, or confusion.
Poor Judgment
When you are out with your buddies, it’s assumed that there will be some poor judgments that are made on purpose. You may decide to trash the hotel room, pull pranks on unsuspecting bystanders, or spit loogies over the railing of your balcony at passersby.
However, if you find yourself traveling with an addict, you might notice that their judgment is poorer than most. They may find it hilarious to hang off the side of the balcony or drink to the point of alcohol poisoning.
Streaking through the streets in broad daylight or spending all their money in one spot could be signs that your friend’s judgment is being influenced by a drug or alcohol addiction.
Dishonest Actions
When traveling with friends, there is usually an understood code of conduct. You don’t steal your friend’s money. You don’t sleep with their spouse, steal their belongings, or lie to them. Come to think of it, all of these are common sense for any friendship at any time.
Be that as it may, if you are travelling with an addict, you may be privy to find money mysteriously missing. You might also be the butt of several lies tailored to help the addict hide his/her addiction.
On top of all that, drug and alcohol addiction can lead to a feeling of invincibility that can leave your friend feeling that he/she may actually get away with coming on to your spouse.
If you find yourself in this situation, first, sit down with your friend and explain to them how worried you are about them and offer them assistance in finding help. If that doesn’t work, seek professional help in guiding them to a rehabilitation center in Olathe Kansas, for instance, if that is where your friend lives.
Many people throughout the world are addicts and they want to improve, but many a time they do not know where to go and whom to reach. If we have that knowledge, we should certainly help such people by leading them on a journey of recovery.