Environmental Factors that Influence Addiction

Environmental Factors that Influence Addiction

The great question has always been, how does someone end up with an addiction? What propelled somebody to become addicted to drugs, alcohol, sex, or food. Factors can include genetics or something external like childhood trauma or the way somebody was brought up. So, this begs the question once again - is it nature or nurture?

The answer is much more complicated, as both nature and nurture influence, and our choice determines the outcome.

One of the most common factors involved in addiction is that there has always been some trauma in the individual's life. Many families argue that a child growing up has a great life. Still, we are unaware of outside influences that could have created trauma, such as bullying, sexual assault, and physical beatings that never get reported to a parent.

A fundamental belief here is that stressful environments induce stress, which affects people and their behavior.

In addition, individuals who associate with others who abuse alcohol or drugs are more likely to engage in that behavior. And as the use around a person ebbs and flows in quantity and variety, so does their behavior.

However, there are numerous additional environmental influences beyond friends. Parental influence, cultural norms, media representation, and learned physical associations are also environmental factors that contribute to addiction. 

Environmental factors that influence addiction 

Family dynamics and interactions. One of the most substantial external factors influencing addictive behavior is early life experiences. Family interactions, parenting styles, and levels of supervision play a pivotal role in the development of later mental health difficulties, including substance use. We develop strategies to cope with stress in our early years of life. When these strategies are maladaptive (due to a need to survive in the face of adversity), they can lead to risky or self-destructive behaviors. This means that in adolescence or adulthood, these internal triggers are activated by external factors. Authoritarian and avoidant parenting, exposure to physical/emotional/sexual abuse, and divorce have all been associated with an increased likelihood of substance use problems later in life. 

Peer groups. When an individual's social interactions rely heavily on associating with individuals who display potential alcohol or drug problems, it can be challenging to exorcise yourself from similarly displaying such problematic behaviors. The sense of belonging and feeling connected to like-minded people is a substantial factor in maintaining addiction. Friends' habits and behavior patterns will invariably affect everyone in the group as they experience peer pressure. Research has shown that individuals with more permissive and less critical views of drug use are more likely to engage in such use (obviously). Further, earlier use and exposure are typically associated with more likelihood of later problems. 

Social media. While social media has many social benefits, there are also many social downfalls. When an individual struggling with emotional problems sees other people online who appear happy, attractive and enjoying life, it can make them feel further socially isolated, damage their self-esteem, and exacerbate feelings of shame. There is growing evidence that increased social media use can worsen the mental health struggles of those already susceptible to them. Unfortunately, it is doubtful that this trend will shift soon. However, several groups and influencers are beginning to rise who put their imperfections and difficulties front and center to fight stigma and shame. 

Published media. Other media avenues such as video games, movies, and television shows influence people's behaviors. From displays of substance use and other behavior that border (or cross into) glorification to the fantasy creation of unrealistic goals and wishes, media portrayal of relationships, violence, sex, and more can encourage younger viewers to develop self-critical worldviews and unhealthy worldviews. We have to be careful here to avoid the over-demonization of media portrayals as they impact and reflect society's changing norms. Nevertheless, no question shows like Mad Men create very different masculine ideals for viewers than This Is Us, and any information absorbed can impact behavior. This is true for advertising as well as programmatic content. 

Culture/religion. There are many cultural and religious-based triggers for addiction, such as the geographical area you grow up in, religious beliefs prevalent in your culture, early experiences and teachings related to shame, and participation in (or exclusion from) cultural or religious activities. Some cultures accept male drinking but not female drinking and therefore have substantially different rates of alcohol abuse by gender. The same is true for any other cultural norms strong enough to sway behavior, especially if they are widely adopted, and everyone is exposed to them early. Often, we see that problematic behavior develops as a direct response to rebellion against such norms. 

Physical environments. The physical environment can also create many triggers for people with addiction, from attending a pub for "after-work drinks" to your kitchen bench while home alone to a particular social hangout; these places can be associated with cravings. When repeated behaviors can be conditioned to a specific location or situation, these learned habits can be hard to break. Moreover, these triggers can be amplified when the physical site and the people in it are associated with alcohol or drug abuse. Experiments such as Conditioned Place Preference have revealed that reactions to, and expectations of, the delivery and effect of drugs can form after only three to four exposures to a specific setting and remain unless the "spell" is broken eternally. 

Tiger Resilience provides a solution through our proprietary, integrated, self-serve opioid addiction educational and coaching programs that focus on the family members' better understanding of addiction and how to help their loved ones. 

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