Drug and alcohol rehabilitation is a very complex issue that requires specialised treatment within a drug and alcohol rehab centre.
When people assume you can overcome a drug or alcohol dependency on your own, it is clear they don’t understand what causes a person to turn to substance abuse in the first place. There are a few contributing factors to a person developing a drug or alcohol dependency.
The first is their mental health. The human mind is a mysterious and complex organ that requires regular maintenance to keep running smoothly. Many people use substance abuse as a form of self-medication to numb some form of mental pain they are in.
The next factor is a person’s genetics. Not many people realise that some people are genetically more likely to develop a drug or alcohol dependence than others. Those with a family history of substance abuse need to be aware of the risk. It is essential to be aware of the environmental factors at play. Dramatic changes in circumstances can have a massive effect on a person’s mental health and their ability to handle stress.
These factors alone may not lead to a person developing a drug or alcohol dependency. But a combination of the three of them can have a serious impact on a person that can start as substance abuse. Still, then it can quickly spiral into something more serious.
To understand if you have a drug or alcohol dependency, you must first understand the impact the different factors can have on you. This allows you to examine yourself, your history and your well-being to figure out if your substance abuse has gotten out of control and you need help.
At OK Rehab, we are here to offer help to anyone who asks for it. We don’t care if you don’t think your drug or alcohol dependency is that bad. If you ask for help, we will give it to you. All you have to do is give us a call on 0800 326 5559.
Factors in Addiction
Factor 1: Your mental health.
The leading cause of substance abuse is a person struggling with their mental health. As previously mentioned, drugs and alcohol are often used to try and self-medicate.
Most commonly, people living with an undiagnosed mental illness such as depression, anxiety or psychosis will use substance abuse as a way to try and live a normal life.
For example, many people living with severe depression turn to drugs such as weed to relax and get on with their everyday lives.
However, what many people don’t realise is that substance abuse will only make your mental illness worse in the long run. It is a short fix at best that will eventually stop working, but in the worst case, it will just make functioning much much harder than it needs to be.
Trauma is also a leading cause of substance abuse.
Trauma can be caused by:
- Military service
- Death of a loved one
- Witness to a disaster
- Injury
- Threat
- Domestic abuse
- Childhood abuse
- Sexual abuse
More than anything, when a person with trauma abuses substances, they are trying to forget. They are trying to use drugs and alcohol to avoid thinking about their problems and let themselves have a break from it all.
Again at best, this is a temporary fix and will eventually just make it worse.
This is why in the drug and alcohol rehab centres available in the Kirkby area, therapy is a core treatment. So that you can learn how to improve your mental health and replace your substance abuse with healthier coping mechanisms.
Factor 2: Genetics
Genetics are very complicated. Even modern science has yet to unlock all the answers surrounding what makes up a person and what traits will be passed down. However, they have proven that there is a genetic factor as to why a person will become drug or alcohol-dependent.
Many link this connection with certain disorders being passed down, such as dopamine deficiency. A person whose brain is unable to produce enough dopamine may find themselves reliant on substance abuse. This is because that famous rush that comes from drugs and alcohol is a release of dopamine in your brain.
As dopamine is a feel-good chemical, when your brain experiences this rush, it craves more to keep the levels up. Especially if your brain struggles to produce enough dopamine on its own, it will crave more of what created it.
When your brain gets used to the dopamine levels from the drugs and alcohol, it will start to crave more and more to keep experiencing the same rush as when you first started. This is the dependency being created.
In a drug and alcohol rehab centre in the Kirkby area, you can be treated for physical dependency through the detox, which will allow you to safely work through the withdrawal symptoms.
But suppose you have a family history of any form of dependency, including non-chemical ones such as gambling. In that case, you have to be aware you are at a higher risk of developing a drug or alcohol dependency.
Factor 3: Environmental
The environment a person grows up in can have a massive impact on how they develop. For example, suppose a person grows up around substance abuse. In that case, it becomes so normalised that they may not be able to recognise when their use becomes a drug or alcohol dependency.
It also makes it easier to begin abusing substances when they are already available to them. High-stress environments such as working as a firefighter or becoming homeless cause massive amounts of stress. If you have also already experienced trauma, this stress level can feel impossible to deal with.
Many turn to substance abuse to try and relax or even carry on with their jobs without the stress also being there. Trauma links with this as it changes a brain’s chemistry.
When you experience trauma, you will find it difficult to be able to respond appropriately to different levels of stress. For example, you may feel like losing your keys and losing your job on similar levels. This is because your brain is unable to see the difference and instead responds as if they are an equal danger to you.
Drug and alcohol rehab centres in the Kirkby area offer workshops that can help you find solutions to your problems and work to improve the environment you find yourself in.
Let us help
At OK Rehab, we match people with their ideal rehab centre.
We just need you to call 0800 326 5559, and we can begin our free initial assessment and have you in a drug and alcohol rehab centre as soon as possible. We are here to support you and allow you to focus on your journey to long-term recovery while we handle the rest.
We know you can do this. It will just take some time, determination and a willingness to work. We hope to hear from you soon.
