What causes drug addiction? If the answer was a simple one, addiction wouldn’t afflict so many people each and every day. Addiction is complex, and the many forms of addiction; drugs, alcohol, gambling and others all have their own entanglements which ensnare those caught in addictions mighty web, but today we will focus on drug addiction specifically, analyzing the factors which make individuals more susceptible to addiction and how it typically starts.
Early Causes Of Addiction
There’s no one cause for drug addiction, and there’s no one way drug addiction starts. The millions of individuals afflicted each have their own stories, backgrounds and paths which lead to their drug use and eventual addiction, but below are few areas commonly seen to have caused addiction at the early instance of use for so many:
Experimentation: Especially in young individuals, addiction may start because the individual has either heard, or been around drug use (of any kind) and wonders what it’s the feeling is like. They may try drugs with sincere intentions to never use again, but it only takes one use to become addicted.
Peer Pressure: Many might think that this is an era which only afflicts a younger audience, but peer pressure and the need to fit in extends well into adulthood. Recreational use of drugs for assumed enhancement, betterment, or enjoyment by others can make the individual feel excluded, left out, or left behind in areas of performance, and might cave in to such desires under the sphere of peer influence.
Mental Health: Concerns with mental health continue to grow for individuals throughout the United States. Awareness around the subject has strengthened discussions for diagnosis and treatment but like many drug addictions, the euphoric and desired responses of medication sometimes take on a tolerance which pushes individuals to seek stronger medications and advanced highs. Medications can help with many mental health disorders, but in most cases, the underlying reason for these mental health issues is rooted in behavioral and cognitive therapies and solutions.
Prescriptions Drugs and Pain Killers: Similar to mental health, so many of those addicted to drugs start on prescription medications and pain killers. The opioid used as prescription pain killers are highly addictive and as individuals build up a tolerance they can quickly fall into dependence for stronger medications and stronger highs.
Whatever the initial cause, it only take one introduction to the world of drugs to fall into addiction but as mentioned earlier there are factors which make individuals more susceptible.
Risk Factors Leading to Causes Of Addiction
The National Institute on Drug Abuse regards these three areas as risk factors for a person developing a drug addiction:
Biology: Genetics themselves make up roughly 50% of a person’s risk for drug addiction. Just because your genetics are aligned to a pathway of drug addiction does not mean you are guaranteed to become addicted in any way but is simply a disposition inherited which raises individuals potential for addiction. Other societal trends for gender and ethnicity can lead to increased rates of drug addiction but mental disorders, which may also be genetically passed down, can also lead to increased risk of addiction.
Environment: An individual’s environment can included influences ranging from those who surround an individual; family, friends, and/or co-workers which can incite peer pressure, abuse, stress, parental guidance, and exposure to drugs. Other environmental influences such as economic status and overall quality of life can create additional causes for addiction.
Development: The early years of an individual’s life are critical when analyzing causes for addiction. The earlier drug use begins, the more likely that use will develop into addiction, as teens brains are still in development, and are more prone to risky behaviors such as partaking in drug use.
What Should You Do To Help Someone With Addiction
It’s important to know what the potential causes for addiction are but like cancer or diabetes, there may be areas which affect the likelihood of an individual contracting these disease, but it can happen to anyone at any time without reason or cause. If you know someone or you yourself have fallen addicted to drugs, there are ways to help individuals in this predicament, but the individual should surely seek treatment at rehabilitation facility to begin there road to sobriety.
We hope you found this information helpful and hope that the causes for addiction are clearer. If you or a loved one needs any additional assistance with addiction treatment services, please reach out to Long Island Center for Recovery at 631-728-3100, and we’d be happy to assist you or your loved ones in any way possible.
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