Can Our Surroundings Fuel Drug Addiction?

Drug addiction is sadly on the up. Whether that be an addiction to prescribed medication or an illegal substance, more and more people are becoming dependent on drugs. With that said, greater research and attention regarding the core influences of drug addiction, and how to recover from one is arising.

The facts about drug addiction

For onlookers, understanding addiction can be difficult. There’s no ‘one fits all’ influence, effect or recovery journey. Influences can stem from surroundings, previous traumatic events, mental health issues, or can simply be consumed to fuel a coping mechanism. There are factors from both nature and nurture encouraging drug addiction, effecting individuals differently.

One traumatic scenario may be perceived differently and have a greater impact to certain individuals, making it a blurred topic. However, with that said, we have research to identify how surroundings can fuel drug addiction and its damages.

Once the knowledge of underlying influences of a drug addiction are present, there’s greater ability to understand which steps to take to aid recovery. It is highly important for those looking to overcome a drug addiction to understand their triggers, and how those influences can be worked on.

If you are living with a drug addiction, see how our surroundings and further factors can fuel chronic dependencies.

Factors which can fuel drug addiction

If you or a loved one are living with a drug addiction, you may feel that pinpointing an exact influence may be difficult. However, for any addiction, an underlying stimulation will be present, causing consistent consumption. For some, a slippery slope of social consumption may have developed into a chronic drug addiction. For others, drug consumption may act as a coping mechanism to work through mental health episodes. For a lot of clients, their surroundings and home environment can also influence the initial use of drugs.

To fully understand what has influenced your drug consumption, along with ways to overcome your addiction, see factors below, commonly known to fuel drug addiction:
 

Social Media and Online Surroundings: With the rise of social media usage and comparable behaviours, more and more individuals are developing drug addictions. Online surroundings and influences are commonly known to effect younger individuals, causing mental health downward spirals. In order to overcome those effects, individuals are knowingly turning to chronic drug consumption, leading to addiction. This is becoming a popular coping mechanism to help overcome the negative effects of social media platforms.

Physical Surroundings Including Family and Friends: Like any habit, physical surroundings and associations can influence drug consumption. Behavioural trends are usually mutual, promoting similar activity. Those who have exposure to drug consumption and addictive behaviours have greater likelihood of resembling those actions. Research suggests how your social surroundings can significantly increase potential long-term addiction if mindsets are similar. If you spending time surrounded by drugs, this could influence your perception, increasing potential long-term consumption.

Family Dynamics: One of the most common external factors causing addictive behaviour stems from early life experiences and surroundings. Those experiences are imbedded subconsciously from a young age, affecting individuals later in life. Exposure to traumatic or harmful events are a key driving factor for chronic long-term drug addiction. Psychological connections to drugs are commonly discussed. Here is an example of how an individual’s mindset can promote drug addiction.

Mental Health Disorders: A further factor influencing drug consumption is mental health issues. Many individuals are known to consume drugs to escape from daily side effects of disorders. As mental health issues are rising, so are addictions.

Learning Environment and Surroundings: Your learning environment and surroundings are a further factor which can fuel drug addiction. The way you’ve been brought up, the geographical area you live within, and your subconscious morals can all increase addictive behaviour. Some individuals are taught how drug consumption is wrong, and others are brought up surrounding the behaviour. Therefor, learning surroundings can influence consumption likelihood.

 
If you believe that you’re experiencing any of the above influencing factors, or you are concerned that a loved one is situated within a drug focused environment, considering expert support should be your next step. It is difficult to fully understand a causation without expert support. Here at Ocean Recovery Centre, our specialised therapists can help to understand the underlying influence, whether that be learning surroundings or mental health issues. From here, a suitable route to recovery will be provided.

How residential addiction treatment can benefit you

If you are living with a drug addiction, seeking expert support through residential addiction treatment will benefit you. Attempting to ignore your surroundings will make recovery impossible and can fuel greater consumption long-term.

By visiting a residential rehab centre like ours here at Ocean Recovery, you will provide yourself with the opportunity to overcome your addiction. We will aid you by offering industry leading addiction treatments, designed to help those suffering with a drug dependency. Move yourself away from your influencing surroundings and invest in some time out to focus on your rehab journey.

In order to select appropriate treatment methods, our specialised psychologists will gain an understanding of the key stimuli’s causing your drug cravings. This will include individual therapy sessions to understand how your surroundings are feeding your addiction greater. This may seem like a daunting step, however, is vital to ensure appropriate recommendations are made for your needs.

Throughout treatment, you will learn to view your surroundings differently, with the aim to slowly reduce your psychological and physical cravings of drugs. Our treatments and support will move you towards a sober, drug-free future. You will return home to your surroundings armed with the tools to block out any influences, helping to overcome any potential relapses.

We additionally understand how repositioning yourself within those surroundings post rehab can be difficult. We provide ongoing aftercare support to ensure you are thriving in your environment, rather than turning back to your drug addiction.

If you believe that your surroundings are helping to fuel your drug addiction, consider our residential addiction treatments. We will work with you until you feel ready to tackle a new, positive life. Get in touch today to start the process.