People who are heavy drug abusers are caught up in a feedback loop. You may feel unworthy, guilty, perhaps maybe even like a culprit after your drug doses. But, you cannot stop! You carry on with this self-inflicting image of yours and pass each day in resentment.
So why is it so that you still indulge in addiction even after all its atrocities? Why do you not simply stop and live a worthwhile life?
Getting addicted was not intentioned, and putting a halt to it is also not under your control.
So what do you do then instead of living a life of guilt and feeling powerless?
The best way to avoid drug addiction is to prevent it in its initial stages. But if you are already a drug addict, knowing the cause of the start of any addiction may also help control the impulses.
On a note, have you ever wondered, “Why do some people develop drug addiction while others do not?”
Playing a role here are the risk factors that provoke drug usage in few individuals more than others. Although there is no one such reason why a person is addicted to abusive substances, there is a list of factors that does create influence.
What are the risk factors for drug abuse?
- Stressful lifestyle
- Family history of addiction
- Accessibility to drugs
- Poor mental health.
What are the causes of drug addiction?
As drugs trigger the brain’s pleasure centers, people cling to this effect for the most prolonged period. Drug addiction may begin for a multitude of reasons. It may be a mental issue, or in many cases, it starts as a routine of taking drugs to subdue one’s emotions. However, with time, people get addicted and increase the doses of even prescribed pills!
Did you know: The scenario today is that to avoid society’s scorn, many people take drugs that are more accepted( prescribed medicines) over any illicit drugs.
The effect of both is although drastic if taken in excess quantity. Let us direct our attention to know why people get hooked to these endangering substances.
- To excel-
Starting its course normally, many people use drugs to work more effectively. It gives them the ‘supernatural’ vibes. Once they get aligned with it, they are unable to keep away from it. Drugs intake keep on increasing for such people giving them the false notion about their capabilities. Amphetamine is one such drug that creates a fanciful environment that people no longer want to see reality and face its hardships. The dose increases as these people start to get immune to the previous dose. Most people suffering from mental issues prefer to stay in this made-up high state of theirs.
- Out of curiosity-
Exposure to drugs at an early age is a high-risk factor for teenagers. Young people have a zeal for living, trying out new things as an experimental base. Having access to drugs comes from social circles and many a time even from family members. The drug-taking self causes a high in oneself to feel free and paint a world of their own that is perfect. Opting for drugs at an early age is a choice… but not a rational one. This surfaces out of compulsion. The need to take drugs may also result from an unruly childhood where the person tries hard to fit into the expectation of the adult- world. Whatever may be the case of the start of indulgence…the result is the same!
The failure to stop an impulse and be carried away with it. The choice to opt for an easier alternative to give in to the urges rather than make an effortful choice to stop.
- The need to feel good-
The human tendency to feel good can take dangerous turns at many points in life. Drugs offer this feel-good-thrilling- invincibility. But do you think this feeling sustains? Drug abuse only triggers the neurotransmitters of the brain to give temporary pleasure but long-term devastation. Addiction no longer remains a substance to them but a portal to another world to see life on their terms. To retain this self-image, people heavily use drugs, increase their dose, and ultimately feel powerless again. So what is with all the hype to feel good and powerful by taking drugs when you end up where you started from?
- The need to feel better-
Anxiety, depression, a feeling of emptiness invokes the mind to do things to get out of such a state. Getting introduced to drugs at this instance may be life destructive. With regular usage, drug addiction becomes an ingrained habit. And for the mind, habit is no stranger! People then relentlessly strive towards seeking an expected award out of this addiction that is now also fuelled by habit. The outcome of it? Endless repetition of the same cycle and an undeserving lifestyle!
Drug addiction treatment-
To lead a good lifestyle is the desire of every individual. Even drug addicts infuse the habit of taking drugs into their lifestyle because they feel it will offer them a better way of living. Although astrayed and amid destroying one’s life, it is high time that at some point, all drug abusers need to say Stop to their impulses and direct their attention in improving themselves.
Treatment has to become a priority after reaching such a stage. However, the treatment worked upon with addicts is different in each case. So it is essential to sit with your therapists and supporters to choose an effective treatment plan for yourself.
The treatments that may be suggested are;
- Treatment with medication
- Cognitive behavioural therapy
- Psychotherapy
Even attending support groups are beneficial to people suffering from drug addiction. Call it a lack of willpower or unnecessary reasons to indulge in drugs, people who are sufferers know its actual plight. So as a loved supporter, it is your duty to bring out anyone you know from the clenches of addiction. If you are a victim of it, ask for help to overcome your situation. Friends and family are the most significant pillars at such a time. For any professional help, you can visit Hopecare. We offer support at all hours with the goal to give you a new worthy life. Call us now at 91-9311112377!
Hope Care established under the guidance of Dr. Deepak Raheja, President at Delhi Psychiatric Society is a psychiatric center of excellence that endeavors to restore hope and well-being to individuals and families afflicted by mental ill-health through comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation services. Hopecare seeks to set benchmarks in innovative programs in treatment, care, and education.