Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are now used by millions of the population, on a global scale. Although there are many positives to these social media sites, there have recently been significant negative associations; with a key focus on mental health issues.
The most common group of individuals suffering with stress, depression and anxiety, influenced by the likes of social media sites are young adults and teenagers; usually those who have grown up surrounded by technology, who also spend significant time online.
However, a further link between social media, stress and addiction has been brought to light, causing great concern. The most common cause of this link is down to individuals feeling jealous by comparing real life with fake and filtered content, leading to deeper mental health issues and substance misuse.
If you believe that social media is a source of stress for yourself, and could be influencing addictive behaviours, seeking support should be imperative. Here at Cassiobury Court, we can help you through this distressing time. Please reach out if you are experiencing the negative side effects of this current epidemic and believe stress from social media is a leading causation.
The Negative Impacts of Today’s Social Media Sites
Years ago, social networking sites were perceived pretty innocently. They were mainly used to connect with friends and loved ones on a global scale. However, as more and more people have started to use social media for business purposes and ways to earn, negative impacts have arisen. Likewise, as the pressures have grown for the younger generations to share filtered lives across social media, many users are starting to compare their lives, looks, careers and relationships.
This negative transition has now led to many mental health and behavioural illnesses, including addiction and substance misuse. Likewise, as addictions to social media continue to advance, susceptibility to further dependencies are likely to distract from side effects.
Without taking a step back and gaining perspective on the effects of social media networks, long lasting psychological concerns and increase stress levels are likely, known to lead to potential substance misuse.
Do you feel a level of stress from social media? Do you feel pressured or influenced by social media content? Do you feel like you can hide your habits and substance misuse behind the screen?
These feelings can lead to greater mental health struggles and habitual behaviours if uncontrolled. Before any form of addiction enters your life, opening up is highly important. Many individuals sadly haven’t, leading to lasting damages associated with drug use and depression.
How Social Media Usage Can Influence Substance Misuse
For those suffering with an addiction, a dual diagnosis is usually present; this meaning that an underlying mental health issue is present, usually known to fuel dependencies.
One of the largest causations of stress, depression and anxiety now falls onto social media and the accessible viral content. As touched on above, users now compare their lives to others, including peers, social media influencers and celebrities. This level of pressure commonly leads to eating disorders, body dysmorphia, suicidal thoughts and substance misuse of supplements, steroids and illegal drugs.
This is sadly becoming a reality for many individuals, especially young adults. Pressures to mirror content viewed on the likes of Instagram can fuel stress and depression, influencing the use of drugs and alcohol. For some, a depressive state can develop, usually dealt with by over-partying and consuming large quantities of alcohol. For others, anxiety can develop obsessions where the likes of hazardous supplements are used, with the hope to achieve similar results to the fake, edited content viewed on social media.
For individuals caught up in this vicious circle, it is highly difficult to identify real and fake content. The only definite is that the aim to strive and reach these unrealistic levels of perfection is fuelling stress, severe mental health illnesses and substance abuse.
Although it may seem impossible to overcome stress from social media, professional support is available, along with self-help tips. For individuals who’ve dealt with this level of stress and pressure by misusing dangerous substances, addiction treatment can help to alleviate these negative side effects. If you’re living with an addiction linked to social media usage, reach out to our team here at Cassiobury Court. Long lasting, intense use of social media can lead to mental health issues and will continue to until the cycle is broken; we can help you break this.
How To Overcome Substance Abuse for Good
If you’re suffering with an addiction influenced by stress and depression, its time to reach out for support. Many individuals are developing chronic fixations to supplements, steroids and illegal substances, commonly influenced by social media pressures. Before this is likely, there are many self-help tips and rehabilitation programmes to work through.
To help reduce your stress from social media, its recommended that users reduce the use of platforms, along with hiding any influential content. Alongside this step, opening up to loved ones regarding stress levels and substance abuse will help to kickstart recovery.
However, for individuals who’ve developed significant addictions from stresses and mental health issues associated to social media, recovery programmes and addiction treatments are recommended. Here at Cassiobury Court, we specialise in supporting individuals with a dual diagnosis of addiction and mental health issues.
When looking to recover, it is very important that addiction treatment is sourced, helping individuals detoxify from substances. However, it is further important that psychological treatment and support is accessed. Without tackling the underlying issues, stemmed from social media usage and pressures, substance abuse and further addictions are likely to continue; usually resulting in severe effects.
Therefore, if you are experiencing stress from social media, and believe this is fuelling an addiction, whether that’s a dependency to social media, drugs and alcohol, or associated mental health issues, such as depression, it’s important that you reach out for support. Although little light is currently placed on recovery from social media, it is important that this stigma is broken, and that treatment is available like any other addiction.
To discuss how our recovery programmes can help to reduce your stress from social media, while also tackling your addiction, please reach out today by calling 01923 369 161.
