Once you start abusing substances, everything else in your life becomes a lesser priority. This type of thinking makes it difficult to make decisions that impact your personal growth. Before an individual begins abusing substances, there are certain triggers that jumpstart the entire process.

1. Peer Pressure

Good peer pressure is when friends and family convince you to check into a substance abuse treatment center. Bad peer pressure turns into addiction by hanging around groups that continually takes drugs. It is awkward to be the odd person out of a group that stays clean. When friends or family begin to pressure you to ‘join in’, the entire experience becomes suffocating.

2. Stress

Stress creates many unusual outlets for coping. An evening glass of wine after work can easily turn into something more sinister. The stress aspect that leads to addiction is a slippery slope for many individuals with difficulties expressing their emotions. Drugs are never a good outlet, even if it is for short term relief.

3. Environmental Factors

If you grow up around heavy cigarette smokers, then chances are you are more likely to pick up the same habit. Environmental factors are not a guarantee of addiction, but they do hold tremendous value in when avoiding the same mistakes. Stay mindful of your environment and all of the side effects caused by addiction.

4. Mental Health Issues

PTSD, anxiety and depression are some common mental health issues that lead to addiction. Unfortunately, substance abuse strengthens the worst effects of mental health to create a vicious cycle of using. Even if you haven’t been diagnosed with a mental illness, there is still a chance that an underlying condition could lead to severe consequences.

5. Boredom

As mundane as it seems, boredom has been a key contributor to addiction. When curiosity is at its highest, trying new things seems like an innocent way to make things interesting. That makes access to drugs and a lack of meaningful activities a very dangerous combo.

6.Media Influence

In pop culture, drugs are glamorized to the extreme. This includes music, television, movies and even books. After years of anti-drug marketing against ecstasy, it is still a popular party drug, along with multiple new variants of different drugs. It’s not solely the messaging of media that makes drugs a bad influence on people. Instead, the prime influence comes from how an individual will try to emulate what they see in media as a way to elevate their own lives.

7. Self-Medication

Illegal drugs are not the only way an addict can get a fix. There are stories of a person being in tremendous physical pain and abusing their legally purchased prescription drugs. In rare instances, a mix-up with medication can lead to the beginning of a strong addiction. No matter what drug you take, addiction is always a possibility when it is misused.

It’s Never Too Late to Quit

There is always a way to beat addiction before it takes away everything you care about. Getting treatment is hard, and staying clean is harder. By staying strong, you’ll always be in control of the narrative of a positive future.

Becoming addicted to drugs or alcohol can hinder one’s ability to see the ramifications of one’s actions. The only thing a person can focus on is getting their fix, ignoring the toxic results that drugs and alcohol can have on the body, most of them long-term and a few even incurable. Here are five conditions you could be at risk for if you have a substance abuse problem.

Damage To The Central Nervous System

Any outpatient rehab in Utah has to be prepared to deal with a plethora of health conditions when an individual decides to receive treatment. One of the most common conditions is the damage that is done to the brain through the prolonged abuse of drugs or alcohol. This is because the brain becomes heavily dependent on the drug and will no longer work the same without its presence. This is why withdrawal symptoms can become quite debilitating for a patient. Drugs and alcohol addiction changes the overall structure and function of the brain, can cause damage to the frontal lobe, leads to memory loss and confusion, and increases the development of depression and anxiety.

Gastrointestinal Issues

Drugs and alcohol can have a negatively profound effect on the gastrointestinal system. Many drugs can cause diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, and loss of appetite, as well as irritation of the stomach lining and intestines. This irritation increases the risk of ulcers, heartburn, and acid reflux which can further damage the esophagus and digestive tissues.

Acute Respiratory Failure

Substance abuse can lead to failure of the respiratory system, especially when the individual is addicted to alcohol, cocaine, amphetamines, benzos, and opioids. They tend to suppress respiration and put a person at risk of overdose. Other drugs that are smoked can increase the risk of lung disease and lung cancer.

Diminished Immune System

The immune system is greatly affected by substance abuse, increasing the person’s risk of becoming sick in the future. Some drugs can suppress the white blood cells’ ability to fight off infections and diseases. A person who is addicted is also less likely to have a healthy lifestyle, including eating nutritious foods, getting daily exercise, and getting enough sleep; these practices are designed to help you fight off illness.

Circulatory And Heart Problems

The heart and overall circulatory system can be put under significant amounts of stress when a person is addicted to drugs and/or alcohol. Stimulants like cocaine tend to increase the heart rate, which puts the heart under a lot of pressure and increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Drugs like tobacco and alcohol can put a person at risk for heart disease and other cardiovascular issues due to the way they constrict the blood vessels over a long period of time. With injectable drugs, like opioids, there is the risk of blood infections if proper hygiene isn’t practiced, such as sharing needles.

Substance abuse is a serious issue that affects a person’s health (both physically and mentally) as well as their personal relationships with other people. If you or someone you know has a substance abuse disorder, contact your primary healthcare professional as soon as possible to get the help you need.