How to Prevent Drugs Addiction?
Prevention is better than cure. It’s a well-known proverb and fits completely when we talk about drug addiction too. If a person claims that they will use any drug or alcohol only once or twice. Or one may assume that he can abandon the drug, whenever he wishes. Both of these are only assumptions. Staying away from drugs and alcohol is the only way to prevent addictive behavior.
But what is meant by “prevention from drug addiction”. Before understanding this phenomenon we first have to understand the reasons why a person has a chance to get addicted to drugs. Some may get addicted to drugs to overcome another mental disorder like depression or being influenced by friends or family members. Someone can accidentally get addicted by misusing prescription medicine.
Some people can get addicted to remain fit and escape painful memories. Certain symptoms indicate the addictive behavior of a person. If a person shows such symptoms, the close relatives should be quick and take quick action to prevent the person from falling deeper into addictive behavior.
The Top 7 Ways to Prevent Drugs Addiction
If you don’t want your families to tear apart then don’t indulge in illicit drugs. And if someone you love is a drug addict try to understand them and reason with them. Now we will discuss how to prevent drug addiction. Certain measures can be taken in this respect. We will discuss them one by one.
- By Improving Communication
As we have discussed earlier, some people may take drugs to solve any other problem like depression or opioids as pain killers, so they don’t even realize that they are doing something wrong. It can be made possible through communication that we can make them realize the harmful impact of drugs, their dangers, and most important of all, the fact of increasing the chance of dependency on the drug, hence indulging deep down into addiction.
It is only through communication that we can bring a person just trapped in a drug net, to normal life by making him realize the catastrophic impacts of drug addiction. Communication can break barriers and make way for thoughts and feelings to come out. Drug addiction makes a person go into isolation and not speak with another for days. So make sure you do not distance yourself from the person who is a drug addict. And try to communicate that they should not waste their life away doing drugs.
- Seek Therapy
There are five stages of drug addiction. At the very first step of experimenting with the drug, before regular use, therapy can be done to prevent addictive behavior. A therapist may talk to the addict and make him realize that the use of drugs just for the sake of fun, can lead to the complete dependency of the person on drugs.
A therapist can also make him realize firmly that drugs are not the solution to any problem. It can only create problems. No problem can be solved with the help of drugs. The dangers of leisure drugs can also be explained by a therapist. Seeking therapy is always looked down upon. As if it is something that people should avoid. On the contrary, people, especially people going through tough times should go for therapy sessions. These sessions will make you have a more clearer idea of what life is all about.
- Deal with Stress in Life
Stress is the leading cause of suicide these days. Drug addiction may also be adopted by some people to deal with the stress they face in their lives. They use drugs as a way to escape the harsh realities of their lives. Stress or pressure can be controlled by replacing drug addiction with hobbies. But professional help must be taken to deal with the stress, as only stress is enough for making them addicted but also to relapse.
According to experts, stress creates the same changes in the human brain as drug addiction creates. So the person showing addictive behavior must be taught to deal with the pressure and stress of life, to prevent him from getting addicted. If your loved one is a drug addict try and make the environment around them healthy and stress-free. Teach them how to busy their mind by doing something productive.
- Happy and Healthy Lifestyle
Everyone deserves to be happy. Many people start taking drugs to feel happy. But little do they know that the short-lived euphoria comes with a hefty price. A healthy and balanced lifestyle can be the best preventive measure when it comes to drug addiction. A person eating a balanced diet, and taking regular exercise will remain much more active and energetic and an energetic person can deal with the life pressure much more easily than a physically weak and dull person.
The persons showing addictive behavior must be told that a healthy lifestyle can solve problems of life much better than drugs. Like go and consult an expert for curing depression rather than seeking refuge in drugs. A healthy and balanced diet, sports, book reading, volunteering for any noble cause, and physical activities can be adopted in order to live a healthy lifestyle, hence a better life.
- Looking into Past
According to studies, almost 40 to 60% of people having drugs in their genes are much more vulnerable to drug addiction than the persons who don’t have an addiction history in their family. If a close relative like a father is addicted to drugs, there is a chance of the son or daughter to be indulged in drug addiction. The chances of addiction to stronger drugs like Cocaine are much higher in people having a genetic history of drugs. For such persons a dual diagnosis is necessary.
A clinical treatment as well as therapeutic counseling, in order to identify the root cause of the addictive behavior. It will help resolve the psychological triggers to prevent relapse. Looking into the past and reliving can cause depression. Someone in the past may have done you wrong and then you start drugs. But this should be prevented. People who think that they are on the verge of becoming drug addicts due to something that happened in the past should focus on the future. Work hard in the present to achieve a healthy future,
- Develop Close Family Relations
Family members will always show their love and support no matter what. Drug addicts should understand that to keep their family happy, they must stop doing drugs. Doing drugs hurts family members too because they cannot see the person they love so much, which ruins their life. A person with a close bonding with his/her family is less likely to show addictive behavior.
A close family relationship necessarily includes Communication, which ultimately became a cause of awareness about drug addiction. A close family relationship can work wonders as a therapy for that person to cope with stress and tension in his life. A healthy relationship may exist between two very close but positive friends, who work as a therapeutic help for the concerned person.
- Learn to Deal with Peer Pressure
Peer pressure can indeed lead to drug addiction. Last but not least, the least way of preventing drugs is to learn to say no to peer pressure. Especially teenagers and young adults should realize that looking COOL within your peer’s community is not worth bringing your health and life at stake. Staying healthy and fit is much more important than becoming a part of an addict’s community.
They must be taught to say no to peer pressure rather than leave a community that is leading them to complete disaster. No one will be there to help you out of your drug addiction. You have to be strong and stay away from temptations. Think about yourself and make a promise to not fall into the trap of peer pressure.
In a Nutshell..
Drug addiction ruins the lives of the people who take drugs, and even people around them. Drug addiction is a curse, but it is not insurmountable. Drug abusers must be prioritized and given special attention to heal and seek addiction therapy. Through this sort of treatment, drug users can discover how substance usage affects their family and friends. An addiction therapist will create an environment in which everyone is free to share their thoughts and feelings.
Addiction therapists can also help people overcome existing problems. The above mentioned are some of the measures that can be taken to prevent a person from showing addictive behavior from drug addiction. But these are not any hard and fast rules. Every case has a unique history and a different way of dealing can be used to prevent them from falling prey to drug addiction. But any action must be taken to prevent a person from falling into a deep ditch of drug addiction before it gets too late.
