I’m Worried My Drug Use Is Becoming a Problem
A medicine can be legitimate, prescribed and useful, and you can still become worried about the way you are using it.
A medicine can be legitimate, prescribed and useful, and you can still become worried about the way you are using it.
Perhaps you take more than directed, run out early, use somebody else’s medicine, buy extra supplies, combine medicines with alcohol or drugs, or feel anxious about getting through the day without a particular tablet.
That concern deserves a healthcare conversation. It does not require you to decide first whether you are “addicted”.
Start with what has changed
Ask what is different from the original reason or instructions for taking the medicine.
Are you taking it more often, at a higher dose, for a different reason or for longer than intended? Are you using it to sleep, calm yourself, feel numb or change your mood rather than for its original purpose?
Write down the medicine, dose, how often you take it, where it comes from and any alcohol, prescribed medicines, over-the-counter products or drugs you use alongside it.
Dependence is not the same as wrongdoing
Some medicines can cause physical dependence when used as prescribed.
That means the body adapts and withdrawal symptoms can occur if the medicine is stopped or reduced. It does not automatically mean somebody has misused the medicine or has an addiction.
The practical point is important: if dependence is possible, changing the medicine may need a planned discussion with the prescriber or pharmacist rather than a sudden decision at home.
Do not make abrupt changes because you feel ashamed
If you are worried about opioids, benzodiazepines, sleeping medicines, gabapentin, pregabalin or another medicine associated with dependence or withdrawal, speak to an appropriate healthcare professional before stopping or making a substantial change.
The safest approach depends on the medicine, dose, duration, other medicines and your health.
Do not copy another person’s reduction schedule.
Be completely honest about how you take it
A clinician can only assess the real pattern if they know it.
If you have been taking extra doses, buying medicines online, using somebody else’s prescription or mixing medicines with alcohol or drugs, say so.
The purpose of the conversation is to reduce risk and work out what support is appropriate, not to produce a perfect account of how the medicine was meant to be taken.
Look at the problem the medicine is solving
If the medicine has become your main way of managing anxiety, pain, insomnia or difficult feelings, that underlying problem still matters.
A review might need to consider pain management, sleep, mental-health support or other treatment as well as the medicine itself.
Removing a coping method without addressing why it became important can leave a large gap.
Last reviewed
6 September 2026
Important medication informationThis guide provides general information only and is not medical advice. Do not start, stop or change prescribed medication without speaking to an appropriate healthcare professional. Your doctor or pharmacist can advise you about your individual medicine, dose, side effects, dependence or withdrawal risk, and other medicines or substances you take.