5 Contributing Factors and Causes of Drug Addiction

Across the world, drug addiction is a problem that affects many people, with effects extending to their families and the community. The impacts of addiction are not only on the physical and mental health and relationships of the addicts but also their financial wellbeing. Drug use and addiction are progressive, and there are contributing factors and causes that you should know about. Understanding these factors and causes also influences the decisions and steps an addict or family takes to seek help. 

Mental Health Disorder

People with existing mental disorders have higher chances of engaging in abuse of drugs and developing an addiction. Mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression are more likely to push and turn an individual into an addict. In most cases, an individual with existing mental issues will opt for self-medication and, with time, develop a tolerance leading to addiction. People with existing mental health problems must seek help, especially in the early stages of drug use, before developing an addiction.

Peer pressure

While having friends and loved ones around you is beneficial, some companies can prove harmful to you. If your friends or loved ones engage in drug use, the likelihood of engaging in such activities is higher. With peer pressure, the habits become progressive, meaning that you get hooked and develop an addiction with time. Peer pressure is a significant factor among teens and youth. Individuals who use drugs will also choose to spend time and associate with others with the same behavior. This makes it hard to stop as the pressure and influence are strong. It also becomes hard to seek help when the peer pressure is strong and the need to quit lower.

Prescription Drugs

The risk factor for drug addiction is much higher on prescription drugs because, in most cases, they are addictive. Painkillers, antidepressants, and sedatives are among the prescribed drugs that people use and lead to addiction. Doctors and healthcare practitioners must provide control measures when prescribing addictive drugs to their patients. You should note that when the body develops tolerance to some of these drugs, it becomes easier for an individual to develop an addiction. Prescription drugs can also lead to physical and mental dependence, making it hard for an addict to stop or seek professional help.

Loneliness and Solitude

The relationship you have with your family, friends, and loved ones influences the likelihood of using drugs and developing an addiction. People with reservations and who prefer solitude will consider seeking solace from drugs. If you have a broken relationship with your family or loved ones, the temptation to look for other means of solace, hence engaging in drugs, is there. When you are lonely and out of touch with the social and active world, drugs become your companion, leading to addiction in the process. 

Family and Environment

There is a correlation between family history and drug use. An individual brought up and raised in a family with drug users has a higher chance of emulating that behavior. This is the same when you reside in an environment with drug users. The risk factor is higher in children with drug-addicted parents. If the environment only allows for drug abuse, it is hard for children to see beyond drug use, especially when they don’t go to school or have proper adult guidance. Learn how family and the environment can contribute to drug abuse and addiction and the effective mitigation measures you can take to avoid such cases here https://www.ascendantny.com/.

Drug abuse and addiction is a progressive habit and disease that takes time to exhibit. It also takes time before an individual sees the need to seek help and work towards recovery. Understanding the contributing factors and causes of drug addiction makes it easier to identify, seek, or offer help to individuals struggling with drug addiction.

How Entrepreneurs Can Reduce Their Stress Levels

There’s much to love about being an entrepreneur, but there’s no denying that it’s far from a walk in the park. Nobody gets into the entrepreneurial game because it’s relaxing. While a little bit of stress can be a good thing because it can help push your business forward, too much stress can have a negative effect -- on your company, your health, and your loved ones. As such, it’s important that you’re taking steps to keep your stress levels to a minimum. Easier said than done? Sure, but there are things you can do that’ll help. We take a look at some of the best tips below.

Clear Vision

Stress levels typically rise when it feels like you’re not in control. When it’s your business, you’d think that you’d always have a grip on things, but this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, it can feel like you’re just clutching at straws, and hoping that something will stick. This approach, of course, is far too loose -- and it won’t be any surprise if you begin to feel a little intimidated by your business venture. Instead, look at developing a clear vision, an idea of where you want to take your company. While the day to day operations might feel random at times, at least you’ll know that you’re working on reaching a specific spot. It’s a much better approach than just working and hoping that things somehow come together!

Simplify Offerings

As well as figuring out where you want to get to, think about the products and services you’ll be selling that’ll get you there. When we’re just getting our business started, we will usually have more ideas than we can handle -- yet we put them into practice anyway, because a good idea is a good idea! But the more you offer, the more you’ll have to do, and the more stressful things will be. Instead, it can sometimes be better to simplify your offerings so that, rather than offering plenty of different products and services, you’re just offering a couple of things. You’ll find that it’s much easier to do one or two things extremely well, rather than ten things just kind of well.

Hiring Help

One problem that many entrepreneurs have is that they want to do everything themselves. There are reasons for doing so, such as saving money and feeling in control. However, it often turns out to be not as good an approach as they thought, because if you’re doing everything yourself, then...you’re doing everything!

It can pay to bring a couple of staff members on board. They’ll help to lighten your load and bring their own ideas to the table. If you’re going to do this, then it’s important that you’re, first, hiring correctly, and second, letting them get on with their job. The benefits of hiring an employee will be severely reduced if you’re micromanaging them every step of the way. 

Outsourcing Tasks

Of course, it’s not as if you’ll be able to hire a person for every task that you’ve got to complete. Far from it. And what’s more, is that the tasks you don’t hire for can often be the ones that induce the most number of headaches. Take your IT systems for example. You need them to work well if you’re going to run your business efficiently, yet if you don’t have the expertise needed to handle it, then you’ll likely find that your IT infrastructure just adds to your stress levels. As such, it can be worthwhile looking at outsourcing the task. A company like Xamin Managed IT Services can ensure that all your tech needs are being met, which will allow you to simply get on with your all-important tasks. There’s no reason to wrestle with cables and network systems when there are other companies out there that can help you. 

Managing the Day

It’ll be normal for stress levels to rise if it feels like you’re continually overwhelmed by tasks all day, every day. But this is always going to happen unless you’ve taken the time to structure your day effectively. It sounds simple (because it is), but just having a list of the things you want to achieve throughout the day can help to keep your stress levels manageable. And there’s no doubt that it can be highly satisfying to cross things off your list! 

Hit the Ground Running

If you’re prone to procrastinate (and many people are), then you’ll know just how stressful it can be to feel as if you’re wasting time when you should really be getting things done. While there are many causes of procrastination, one of the more common causes is that the person isn’t quite in the right mindset to get back.

If you’re feeling a little tired and unfocused, then you’ll move slowly, and fail to get as much work done as you’d like. One way to get around this issue is to hit the ground running. Wouldn’t be it less stressful if you knew you were going to get into the groove of work as soon as you hit the office? It sounds like a pipedream, but it is possible. It’s all about starting the day right. If you have a morning where you rise early, eat well, and perhaps go for a short run and take a cold shower, then you’ll feel a level of alertness that can be worth its weight in gold. 

Daily Relaxation

Even those people who think that they’ve got their stress levels under control can find themselves with high levels of stress, over time. Little moments of stress can creep up on us and create a pretty big problem if they’re not taken care of. One way to handle this issue is to look at ways to build relaxation into your day, even if you don’t feel like you need it. You’ll find that a focused approach to relaxation can help to keep things manageable and keep stress at a distance over a long period.