Substance abuse!
As you are reading this article, it has to be for you or any of your loved ones who are suffering from substance abuse or addiction. But we are glad that you have made the decision to quit it.
A huge part of our society does not know about addiction and what it actually is. They consider it a bad habit. They also do not know that your surrounding environment can also be the reason for you developing the addiction towards a substance.
Here we will talk about that. Before heading to the main topic, let’s have a look at what addiction actually is.
What Is Substance Addiction?
When an individual develops a dependency on any type of substance, like drugs, prescribed medicine, or alcohol, it is called substance abuse. It is not a habit but a health condition that needs medical attention.
When the individual who has developed a dependency on a particular substance tries to quit it, several health-related symptoms occur, and things become really challenging to continue the quitting process.
This is when the rehabilitation centers or detox centers come into action. They offer the medical attention and treatment the individual requires. If you are searching for such help, visit the Gallus Detox site.
7 Types Of Environments That Can Trigger Your Substance Addiction
Now, as you have developed a basic understanding of substance addiction, you will be able to understand how an individual’s surrounding environment can trigger substance addiction.
Understanding these factors will also help you if you are willing to help someone quit substance abuse and start a sober, healthier life.
1. Home And Family Environment
This is one of the strongest external factors that actually trigger substance abuse. It includes everything from family interactions, levels of supervision, and parenting styles. Just the ways all these things leave an impact on your overall life and mental health, it also assists in developing dependency towards substances.
A family history of drug abuse or alcohol addiction also plays a huge role in making an individual a so-called “addict.” During our younger days, we develop different strategies for coping with stress, and as a part of that, some of us often develop a dependency on substances.
2. Your Friends Group
If you start to read the stories of those people who have fought a battle with addiction. You get to know that most of them have started substance abuse due to peer pressure or from the influence of their friends. Social interactions and groups always shape us, and often they also become the reason why we make some mistakes or start taking drugs and alcohol.
In some instances, the individual who is asking you to try a substance for the first time and becoming the reason for you developing substance abuse is not dependent on any of the substances as everyone’s body reacts differently.
3. Community
We have just mentioned peer pressure plays a considerable role in someone developing substance addiction. In the same way, the community where you are living also affects your mental health and life and can also work as the trigger for substance abuse.
We are living in a community where alcohol has become a part of our regular life. You will get to see a bar counter at almost any event. Apart from that, in order to enjoy the vibe and get high, youngsters intake drugs at a lot of parties.
4. Trauma
Your mental health and wellness are very important for being and staying sober. Mental trauma can be really dangerous for substance abuse. Different people have different ways of handling their stress and trauma and opt for different techniques and shortcuts.
Substance abuse or drug abuse offers relaxation, so there is a high chance that in order to cope with trauma or stress, an individual might end up being into substance abuse. In most cases, the dependency on substance abuse occurs mainly during a person’s childhood due to severe trauma.
5. Mental Issues
We have mentioned several times that your mental health has a huge role in developing substance addiction. Whether we are in our childhood, adolescence, or in our adulthood, we have to live through several challenges and changes.
Life is tough and full of challenges. During hard times, some of us often start to suffer from depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. In order to get rid of that, we start taking over-the-counter drugs or any other substances and become addicted to them.
6. Academic Or Work Pressure
We are living through competition. If you are a school or college student or a working individual, you always thrive to become the best or better version of yourself. In order to boost productivity and capacity, people often turn to stimulating pills.
Some of them might know the harmful side effects of those pills, or some of them know but still continue taking them. Those people might not know that they can become addicted to those drugs and sometimes end up being addicted.
7. Social Media And Other Media Forms
Social media is all about showing the glamorous or greater side of everyone’s life. People keep posting and updating their social media profiles with photos, videos, and other media files to show how they are enjoying their life with alcohol, drugs, and other substances.
Apart from social media, other media formats like movies also glorify the usage of alcohol specifically. Though they might offer a disclaimer, in most cases, common people get influenced by the substance addiction part only.
Overcome Substance Addiction
So, you see, one’s surrounding environment can actually impact the way of their living. Often in order to come out of a tough situation or to simply avoid it, many people start substance abuse without even getting to know and understand when they have developed a dependency on them.
However, there is nothing to worry about too much. There is always time to come out of the darkness of addiction, and you can come out or take your loved ones out of it. You just need to seek professional help.
