5 Tips to Prevent Substance Abuse

The United States is addicted to many things. Our addictions oil, money, excitement and yes even drugs. If we could eliminate even one quarter of those people who are addicted, we would solve many of societies problems, family issues, crime and violence. But if we could stop those who would become addicts, we would have a more dramatic impact. By reducing the addict pool, we shrink the number even more than reducing those who are addicted. We literally cut the head off of the proverbial hydra. People wouldn’t become addicted; we’d have less people living out on the streets, less problems with family life, less people losing their jobs, and less crime.

While it is impossible to prevent everyone from using drugs, there are things we can do to keep ourselves from abusing drugs or alcohol. If we share this knowledge with those closest to us, we may be able to prevent them from doing drugs also.

People begin abusing drugs for a variety of reasons. If we are aware of those reasons and work to fix these areas of our lives without drugs, we will be on our way to preventing drug abuse. Below are the top 5 ways to prevent drug abuse:

Effectively deal with peer pressure. The top reason teens start using drugs is because their friends talk them into it. No one likes to be left out, and teens (and sometimes adults too) find themselves doing things they normally wouldn’t do, just to fit in. In these cases we need to either find a better group of friends that won’t pressure us to do harmful things, or we need to find a good way to say no. Teens should prepare ahead of time a good excuse or plan to keep from giving in to a tempting situation.

Deal with life pressure. Another way people become drawn into addiction is through their failure to deal with the pressures of life. People today are overworked and overwhelmed and often we feel like we deserve a break or a reward for all we do. Drugs will only make a person’s life more stressful, but we often fail to see this in the moment. To prevent using drugs as a reward, we need to find other ways to handle stress and to unwind. A person can take up exercising, or reading a good book, or volunteering with the needy. Anything positive that is relaxing will help take the mind off using drugs to relieve stress.

Get help for mental illness. Mental illness and substance abuse often go hand in hand. Those with mental illness often turn to drugs as a way to ease their pain. Those suffering from some form of mental illness such as depression, anxiety, or post traumatic stress disorder should seek the help of a trained professional for treatment, before it leads to substance abuse.

Look at risk factors. If we are aware of the biological, physical, and environmental risk factors that we possess we will be more likely to overcome them. A history of substance abuse in the family, living in a social setting that glorifies drug abuse, and family life that models drug abuse can all be risk factors.

Keep a balanced life. People take up drugs when something in their life is not working, or when they are unhappy about where their life is going. It is important to look at the big picture of life, and have priorities in order.