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24 hours rehab
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8 Conditions Commonly Accompanying Addiction

It is unusual for addiction to occur in isolation. It is most often the case that those already struggling in life are the most likely to fall into this type of trap. What normally happens is that the person experiences a high degree of discomfort in their life but find that when they start drinking alcohol or using drugs, it makes them feel better. Here are eight condition that are most commonly found as companions to addiction.

1. High Levels of Anxiety

Some people could be described as ‘natural worriers’ – it is like being worried about something is there normal state. If they are not worried about their financial situation, they are worried about their health. Feeling anxious puts a person in a high state of alertness, which could save their life in an emergency, but it is unhealthy and uncomfortable if the individual is like this most of the time. When worriers first begin to abuse substances, it often feels as if they are escaping their worries.

2. Depression

Depression is probably the condition that is most frequently associated with addiction. In many cases, the person will have been experiencing early symptoms of depression before starting to abuse alcohol or drugs, with this behaviour being a type of self-medication. Many individuals develop depression because of the substance abuse as this behaviour alters the chemical makeup of the brain.

3. Excessive Stress

Those who fall into addiction are often individuals who believe they are dealing with a high-degree of stress in their life. In reality, their stress levels may be similar to those of others, but the real situation is that the person is just less able to handle the stress – often because they have poor strategies for coping with it. Alcohol or drugs can bring some relief in the beginning but ultimately it just increases the level of stress in the person’s life.

4. Low Self-Esteem

If people do not have low self-esteem when they starting abusing alcohol or drugs, they will almost certainly develop it by the time they finish. This feeling of low self-worth means that the person becomes prepared to accept the bare minimum from life; they even start believing that a life of addiction is all that they really deserve. The effects of drugs such as cocaine can be very appealing to those who have low self-esteem as it gives them a temporary feeling of confidence and high self-worth.

5. Insecurity in Relationships

It is common for individuals who develop addiction problems to suffer from insecurity when they are in relationships; this can be exhibited as jealousy and neediness. This insecurity often stems from low self-esteem. It is also the case that individuals often become caught up in substance abuse at a young age, before they have had a chance to develop proper coping strategies for dealing with relationships. This type of development in maturity comes to a halt once a person is caught up in addiction.

6. Lack of Purpose

Those who fall into addiction often describe a feeling of having a ‘hole in their soul’. It is as if there is something important missing from their life that they cannot fix. The fact that the person has a lack of purpose to their life means that there is not much reason not to abuse alcohol or drugs.

7. Emotional, Physical, or Sexual Trauma

Many of those who fall into addiction have suffered some type of emotional, physical, or sexual trauma, which may be causing them a great deal of pain in their life. In this type of situation, the person turns to addiction in the hope of some relief from the pain.

8. Demand Resistance

Another common condition that is often seen with those falling into addiction is demand resistance. This is a situation in which the person reacts to any demands that are placed upon them by doing the opposite. It is believed that people who become demand resistant develop this condition due to growing up in an atmosphere in which there were unrealistic expectations. The child realises that he or she is never going to be able to please their parents, so he or she reacts to this by doing the opposite of what they want. This demand resistance develops into a habit and it becomes an automatic response to any demand or expectation.

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