Are you a teenager who use drugs or alcohol to relieve internal anguish or heartache? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Taking drugs recreationally or on your own can be a sign you’re self-medicating deep internal issues you’re not dealing with.
There’s a bit of a social stigma of self-medicating using medicines, whether prescription, illegal or recreational drugs or alcohol, to deal with problems that aren’t visible. We hope to assist you in gaining some momentum in your addiction recovery by re-framing the condition of addiction.
Mental health issues compel drug usage.
Drug addiction is frequently portrayed in a bad way. The addict’s self-confidence plummets, and his or her chances of seeking expert help plunge. It’s crucial to remember who you were before you started taking drugs and that folks who have a substance addiction problem are trying to self-medicate an acute, untreated mental health problem.
Instead of stigmatising and isolating, we aim to decrease the societal stigma and increase compassion and understanding would encourage people to seek therapy – and maybe lead to a more effective and speedy recovery.
The phrase “drug addict” carries a negative connotation.
An addict on the verge of a relapse. A thief who preys on the helpless. A degenerate who sells narcotics… Someone who is untrustworthy. Perhaps a “less-than” individual.
Unfortunately, the attention is on the drugs and the user while on the drugs – rather than the person, the peer, the human being.
After support groups, rehabs, and even incarceration, the substance abuser may continue to see himself or herself as unworthy, making recovery even more difficult and impossible.
A Symptom of An Untreated Underlying Illness
Not always, but a lot of the time… Trauma appears to be at the root of the addiction. After a decade of drug misuse, I’ve realised that most people who have drug problems are simply trying to deal with their issues that no one else is helping them with, and they don’t know how to deal with themselves.
Anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD), bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), emotional baggage — the list goes on. Those who are treated for such problems may actually be treated for a misdiagnosis, as persistent substance usage “muddies the waters” and makes accurate diagnoses difficult.
Addiction is connected to mental health, according to research.
I’m guessing that very few people wake up with the desire to have an out-of-control substance misuse problem. Addiction begins with the realisation or discovery that an altered life is “better” than an unaffected existence, whether sparked by a doctor’s prescription or a party with some friends.
Yes, some people have addictive personalities and may even have biological predispositions to addiction, but the desire to flee from emotional trauma begins and continues the cycle.
According to a study conducted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on a cohort of 17,000 people, childhood or adolescent trauma increases the likelihood of adult alcoholism by 500 percent – and IV drug usage by 4,600 percent.
Addicts “medicate” their great psychological agony, according to Harvard Medical School psychiatrists who developed the self-medication hypothesis (SMH) after 40 years of research. A lack of emotional regulation results from [personality] deficiencies. These patients are incapable of understanding, tolerating, or expressing their emotions.
Finally, the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that “50 percent of persons with severe mental disorders” also have substance misuse issues.
These are all reasons why seeking help, therapy, or the assistance of a rehab for teens is essential.
Summary
In the near term, self-medicating can assist manage and lessen some mental health disorders or emotional trauma. Self-medication, on the other hand, typically worsens conditions and amplifies uncontrollable feelings over time, trapping the user in an addiction cycle and preventing them from moving forward in life.
In short, drug usage is a cry for help on a much deeper issue.
The best thing you can do if you’re self-medicating or know someone who is is to get help. Treat this person with love, empathy, and compassion, that they’re dealing with something that’s seriously affecting them, and that there are options out there that can deal with these issues in a healthier, less destructive way.
