Addiction is a term that means a compulsive psychological need for and use of habit-forming substances. Substance addiction is mostly found in youths and young people generally as there are a lot of factors around to subject them to addiction.

During the addiction process, the addict or the victim is unable to control himself from using the substance except by intervention or by the use of professional help.

Dating an addict comes with its cons which are more than the pros attached. Below are five reasons why you should not consider dating or having an addicted partner:

1. Prioritization: Relationships are being affected by addiction because the addict will always prioritize his substance over every other thing. With drug addiction in relationships, regardless of the situation or person involved, the priority of the addict substance is greater than any other thing. The destruction that drug addiction causes go a long way as it has an effect on everyone around the victim.
2. Abuse: The case of abuse cannot be ruled out when it comes to dating an addicted partner. Addicts tend to have mood swings a lot, one minute they are unusually calm, the next they are aggressive, the next they could be really violent. Anyone around them at that period of time tends to be the recipient of whatever emotional phase they are in at that moment.
3. Trust: This quality is a vital ingredient in relationships and with an addict, it is virtually impossible. An addict would do everything to keep using his substance, ranging from lying to stealing to sneaking around, etc. This act could frustrate the victim’s partner as the individual does not even know how to believe the victim anymore.
4. Deceptiveness: Addicts are deceptive and manipulative as this is how they fuel their addiction. They tend to play mind games with their partner, anything to keep their addiction going.
5. Relapse: For addicts that are on a recovery process, one scary part of their process is the relapse. This relapse would put a lot of emotional stress on everyone around the victim including the partner.

Addiction can display several warning signs that are difficult to detect. Living with a substance abuser or addicted person can be a challenging and confusing experience. Often, addictions are difficult to identify at first because they are progressive diseases. 

An innocent, recreational use of drugs can evolve into a problematic and complicated phenomenon. It may become difficult for partners to determine whether they are abusing substances when users hide their addiction. Despite these signs, you can still tell whether you’re dating a drug addict.

Here are five signs you are dating an addict:

• Their actions don’t align with what they say.

 There is nothing more believable or fascinating than an addict’s story. You want to believe them for the same reason as you like romance and love to flourish. Addicts are, however, inconsistent. While their stories may captivate you, and you may be impressed, the truth is, their actions are inconsistent with their verbal statements. 

• It’s always a struggle for them financially.

A person in active addiction will always struggle with money despite having a good job and a good salary, despite having a good job and a good salary. Perhaps you have even wondered where their money goes. It could even come to the point that they borrow money from you, and you do not expect that they will repay it. 

• There are also mood swings. 

Their fun, loving nature is what made you fall in love with them in the first place. Nevertheless, when substance abuse causes their brain chemistry to change, their personality also changes. Mood swings will be extreme. 

• Families and friends have lost contact with them. 

Families may have problems here and there, but people who are addicted may stop communicating with them. For example, they don’t want their family members to see them doing drugs or drinking if they’ve fallen apart since their addiction. Similarly, other friends who are concerned also feel the same way.

• They won’t acknowledge that there are problems. 

They have changed their personality, acted mysteriously, and lost money is one of the things that has concerned you. Even so, they will deny that anything is wrong. Whenever you call out their shortcomings or present your concerns, you can start many arguments.