Major World Events and Their Effects on Addiction

Often, someone will become addicted to a substance because of peer pressure. Their peers suggest they try drugs or alcohol, and this person finds that they like them. You may also have someone who struggles with substance abuse issues because of a genetic proclivity.

However, world events can also impact addiction. That’s not something that everyone thinks about, but it’s absolutely true. Anyone who has an issue with drugs or alcohol can find an inpatient program for addiction treatment. It’s heartening to know these programs are there for those who let world events influence their drug and alcohol use.

We’ll talk more about how major world events can trigger addiction in the following article.

The Pandemic

When major world events happen, particularly negative ones, there is a correlation between those and addiction or substance abuse. This is not all that surprising. If someone feels that the bedrock of their world has become unstable, coping by using drugs or alcohol seems perfectly logical.

The Covid-19 pandemic is a perfect example of this. It was unexpected, at least for most people. The lockdowns and the frightening information that was coming out about the virus caused many individuals to abuse drugs and alcohol. Even now, when Covid-19 is not so much of a concern, there are many people who are trying to give up the habits that they started over the past few years.

Political Strife

The past decade has seen an unusual amount of political strife. That has been the case in America, but in other countries as well.

When these sorts of things happen, it can cause a spike in drug and alcohol abuse and addiction as well. Some families who have contrasting political viewpoints can’t stand to even be around each other anymore.

With these familial ties broken, many people don’t have a healthy support network. The result can be more drug and alcohol use, and that can bring about addiction.

Climate Change

There are also issues like climate change to consider. Once known as global warming, most credible scientists seem to agree that climate change is a real phenomenon, and it’s something that needs to be slowed or reversed. If humanity is not able to do so, then significant consequences could be just around the corner.

Hearing about things like that can have a negative impact on someone’s psyche. They may feel hopeless or that things are never going to be alright again. They may feel okay when they look at the microcosm of what is going on in their lives, but when they look at the macrocosm that climate change represents, it can be scary enough to bring on drug or alcohol abuse or addiction.

There are myriad other major global events that can bring on similar addiction behavior, such as wars or mass unemployment. Financial crises can bring this behavior to the forefront as well.

These kinds of concerns are cited as the reason why many addicts get into this kind of problematic behavior. They’re effectively self-medicating.

My name is Wojtek and I am very happy that you came to my healthy lifestyle blog. In human life, health is probably the most important factor needed for happiness, so I thought I will make a contribution to this and try to promote healthy eating and sport.

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