Root Cause of Addiction: Underlying Causes and Root Causes of Addiction
Addiction is a complex disease that affects the brain, body and spirit in people and is common among a large group of individuals in the world. An addiction can cause your life to seem out of control, and unfortunately the underlying cause is not exactly known. There are certain factors that contribute to whether or not a person will develop an addiction or substance abuse disorder. Some of those factors include genetics, the environment, and past trauma.
What is Addiction and Substance Abuse?
Addiction and substance abuse are a disease that causes a person to use drugs or alcohol to excess, despite the negative effects it may cause. Addiction affects a person’s brain and body to the point that they cannot control how much they use drugs or alcohol. Addiction can lead to excessive drug or alcohol use, and cause many unwanted health effects. Some of these effects include anxiety, depression, cancer, stroke or in severe cases death.
Drug and alcohol addiction can often begin with experimental use in social situations but it eventually causes people to use inappropriately, and lead to a substance abuse disorder. With other substances such as opioids, it begins with exposure to prescription drugs or medications that people get from a friend or family member.
Symptoms of Addiction
Addiction and substance use disorders can cause both physical and mental health effects in people who use drugs or alcohol. These symptoms can include:
- Needing to use a drug consistently– sometimes several times a day
- Intense cravings for the drug
- Continuing to use the substance, despite the negative effects that can occur
- Taking large amounts of the drug over a longer period of time than you intended
- Making certain that you maintain a supply of the drug
- Spending money on the drug, even though you can’t afford it
- Over time, needing more of the drug to get the same effect
- Not meeting work responsibilities or other obligations or cutting back on recreational or social activities because of drug use
If you or someone you know is suffering from an addiction or substance use disorder, please reach out to the staff at Inland Detox. Our drug and alcohol addiction treatment center provides some of the best treatment help and therapy for people looking to move into recovery.
Root Causes of Addiction, Underlying Causes and Factors that Play a Role
When considering the root causes of addiction, it is important to look at various underlying contributors.The underlying causes of addiction can include unresolved emotional pain, unresolved emotional trauma and also unmet needs such as purpose, belonging, and self-esteem, which may be amplified by family and genetic factors.There are also environmental factors and peer pressure that can contribute to an addiction.
Is Mental Health a Root Cause of Addiction?
Traumatic adverse events during a child’s life is one of the biggest underlying causes of addiction. Adverse childhood experiences may include physical or mental abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, sexual abuse or parental discord. For example, when a child is exposed to distressing events or also chronic stress it can contribute to negative effects in their neurodevelopment and brain chemistry.
Biological Factors
Someone who has a family history of addiction or substance abuse will have a higher likelihood of developing an addiction themselves. Genetics increases the risk someone will develop an addiction if the other problems are present.
This means addiction is not caused by genes. Rather, they may be a protective factor or risk-factor, offering a particular level of resilience against early traumas and other forms of unmet needs or pain.
Trauma
A traumatic event or pain are other underlying causes that can contribute to someone developing an addiction or substance use disorder. It does not necessarily have to be something like a death or life-threatening event. These situations can include other incidents such as being neglected or embarrassed by a parent, resulting in mental health disorders, and eventually addiction.
Environment or Peer Pressure
Being around others who use drugs or alcohol or a lack of parental involvement can be an underlying root cause of a substance use disorder or addiction. There has been evidence to suggest that a large number of teens, close to 80 percent, have reported using drugs or alcohol before they reached adulthood. This may predict an addiction later in life. Teen drug and alcohol use can make you two to three times more likely to struggle with addiction as an adult.
Addiction to Drugs or Alcohol and Mental Health
When someone suffers from addiction or abuse to substances such as drugs and alcohol it can affect not only a person’s physical health but mental health as well. Discontinuing drug or alcohol use can wreak havoc on a person’s body, causing many uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms to occur if proper treatment is not done.
Dealing with substance abuse disorders, alcoholism, or addiction is never easy, and it is even more difficult when you’re also struggling with mental health problems. Watching a loved one deal with these problems can be extremely upsetting, and it will feel like you will do anything to get them proper help.
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction or a substance use disorder, please contact Inland Detox for help and information on our addiction treatment programs.
Addiction Treatment
People often wonder what to expect from addiction treatment, and the answer is that it will vary depending on the treatment center you choose. Typically, addiction treatment involves cognitive behavioral strategies such as counseling, addiction education and other therapies. Often, addiction coincides with other co-occurring mental health disorders and it is important to look at the whole body, and treat multiple conditions at one time.
Treatment for Addiction at Inland Detox
Inland Detox is an addiction treatment rehab that treats all addictions and substance use disorders including drugs and alcohol. Our treatment program focuses on the causes behind the substance use disorders and addiction, providing treatment help to each individual person.
At Inland Detox we understand the struggles that come with addiction and substance use disorders. Our staff members are highly trained in the proper treatment for addiction, and the main goal is to help each client achieve recovery. Our treatment focuses on the causes of addiction, often with treatment of other co-occurring disorders if needed.
Inland Detox understands that successful and effective treatment takes into consideration not only a client’s substance of choice, but their psychological, social and physical well-being. We embrace each of our clients’ comprehensive needs. Inland Detox is able to help a wide spectrum of clientele get the individual treatment they need to effectively get through detox and transition to their next level of care.
If you or a loved one is looking for a program, please contact our staff for information on our treatment programs. We would love to help you move into a full recovery from drugs and alcohol.