Addiction - It's The Environment

Why do some people get addicted to substances and others not? Do genes determine who will become addicted; is it your parents fault?

While many feel comfortable pointing the finger in the other direction, it would help to know what are the factors involved in becoming addicted.

Some people, some studies claim, are predisposed to drug addiction due to race or their grandparents. While this is interesting, it does not solve drug abuse problems. It may even prolong addictive tendencies.

The major factors involved in addiction are:

Taking addictive drugs (I'll include alcohol as a drug)

Trying to solve problems with drugs

Depending on the drug to continue 'solving' the problem

Availability of drugs and alcohol

Attitude of care givers, family and groups

The environment of the cells, the organs, the body and the person dramatically influence a person's drug consumption. It is impossible to abuse drugs without taking them.

The biology of a person can be more inclined to being more receptive to stimulation or effect by drugs or alcohol. Mothers who drink or take drugs while pregnant or breast feeding is a direct method of predisposing babies to drug abuse.

What about drinking or doing drugs in front of kids? How about their visual environment? Many haven't acknowledged the influences that others have on young minds. How about TV commercials and shows singing praises to medications and illicit drugs?

Factually, drug infested environments can wear down even a die-hard straight edge (drug-free person). But, the straight edge has to agree to do drugs and then take drugs to be effected.

What About Attitude Toward Drugs?

Currently the harm minimization or reduction movement is trying to make drugs more acceptable in our culture. Using references like diabetics in comparison to heroin addicts, ie claiming both are diseases neither has any control over, ie powerless, not responsible etc.

Groups like Safety First believe that kids and adults can't be stopped from taking drugs, so the thing to do is make drug use safer. Safety First is trying to create a tolerant drug taking environment. As all drugs are essentially poisons, I don't endorse the opinion that drug use is inevitable.

The attitude surrounding drug use makes drugs either popular, acceptable or available - often all three.

Internal Environment

Biologically, the entire body's chemistry and behavior is dramatically changed by attitude, stress and whether the person had a good or bad day. Electrically, the make up of their internal environment changes and is modified by their own attitudes. Hopelessness tends to breed more hopelessness. Happiness is also contagious. (Ref: The Biology of Belief, Bruce Lipton PhD)

Rehab Center Environment And Attitude

How about success and recovery? If an entire industry insisted that drug and alcohol addiction was a disease, incurable, manageable only and prone to relapse, what sort of environment would that create for people trying to end addiction?

Is it possible the environment or attitude of the people one is working with to end addiction determines the outcome? I'll answer that for you. YES, attitude determines outcome. (Ref: Bruce K. Alexander, SFU)

Should one send a friend or loved one to a center that one wouldn't stay in let alone enter for ½ an hour? I hope you're getting my point.

Successful Environments For Recovery

Drug and alcohol detox and rehab should be healing places, even sacred places. Rehabs should be a kind of sanctuary where one can work out their issues of a lifetime. Drugs and alcohol don't solve problems; they become the new problem.

If people are taking lots of mind altering meds in a rehab program, are they really contributing to the healing environment? Most addicts go to rehab to get off drugs and abused medications. See the problem?

What about drug rehab centers that dole out medications for every whine? In the health care industry, medications are also used to keep clients quiet and out of mischief. Drugs are sometimes used to override disruptive client behavior, not cure addiction.

Drug-free Rehab Centers that use social educational approaches to getting to the root of the drug abusers problems offer a workable solution to end addiction for life.

Social Educational and Bio-Physical holistic programs improve ability and resolve underlying nutritional deficiencies. They actually improve people's conditions.

Do you need to know how to solve a drug / alcohol addiction problem?