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Environmental Factors That Contribute to Drug Abuse

Many people wonder whether or not there are environmental factors that contribute to drug abuse. While some people seem to be more susceptible to addiction than others, environmental factors definitely seem to play a role in drug abuse. The more a person is influenced by these environmental factors, the more likely he will find himself struggling with a drug abuse problem.

  1. Child Abuse

    • Many people with a history of child abuse or trauma struggle with drug abuse because they experience many deep and painful emotions that they do not want to feel. Taking drugs provides child abuse survivors with temporary relief from powerful emotions. Unfortunately, when the high wears off, the pain is still there, which perpetuates the cycle of turning to drugs to alleviate the pain. Healing the underlying pain from the child abuse can help the person overcome a drug addiction.

    Drug Exposure

    • Children who are exposed to drugs at a young age are more likely to struggle with drug abuse as they grow older. Numerous actors who struggled with drug addiction, such as Drew Barrymore and Robert Downey, Jr., were exposed to drugs at a very early age. The child's growing body can react to the drugs in a way that fosters dependence, which results in drug abuse as the child grows older.

    Lack of Supervision

    • Many preteens and teenagers have no supervision after school. While the parents are at work, the children have free rein with how to spend their afternoons. Bored children can get into trouble, and drugs may be one form of trouble. Unsupervised children might experiment with drugs just to see what they are like, only to become addicted. Drug use can rapidly turn into drug abuse.

    Media Influence

    • Television shows and movies often glamorize drug abuse. Teenage characters may dabble with drugs, making drug use seem "cool" and "normal." As the media desensitizes its viewers to the use of drugs, people are more likely to experiment with drugs, and some people will become addicted to abusing drugs. Unfortunately, the media tends to show the "fun" side of drugs without the consequences, which lulls viewers into believing that they are not at risk for becoming dependent upon drugs themselves.

    Peer Pressure

    • People who spend their time with others who abuse drugs are much more likely to abuse drugs themselves. As they see their peers doing drugs, they view the behavior as "normal" and believe that it is safe to experiment with drugs. Many preteens and teenagers do drugs to "look cool" to their friends. Drug use seems to be prevalent in some industries (such as the entertainment industry), so people working in those industries are more likely to abuse drugs.

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