What causes substance abuse? It is a question many people ask when they face a life-threatening situation. It may be your friend, sister, or spouse that is struggling with substance use. It could be you that is unable to stop using. Why is this happening? At Bayview Recovery, a key component of our goal is to help you find out just what happened.

Common Causes of Substance Abuse

It’s impossible to say that there is just one cause of substance abuse. For many people, it is a combination of factors that lead to the desire to use. Sometimes it is as simple as peer pressure. Once you use some types of drugs, stopping becomes nearly impossible.

Your Environment

The most common reason people start using drugs or alcohol is because they are exposed to it in the right atmosphere to encourage use. This atmosphere may include risk factors such as:

• Family belief systems that promote substance use
• Expose in a peer group at school
• Seeing family members use
• Easy access to substances like alcohol and marijuana
• Work-related exposure

Your environment influences a lot of your decisions, especially for first-time users. For many people, this initial exposure influences not just their use but also their perception of drugs and alcohol. For example, if you see your parents drinking daily, it seems like a natural component to daily life.

Your Genetics

There is also some understanding that genetics plays a role in whether a person forms a substance use disorder. Genetic traits can make it more common for a person who uses a substance once to keep desiring it.

Who Is Most at Risk for Drug and Alcohol Use?

The causes of substance use will range widely from one situation to the next. However, some people are more at risk than others. These risks include:

• Those with a mental health disorder, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety.
• People with little family-involvement growing up
• Those with a family history of addiction
• Children, teens, and young adults in peer pressure situations
• Prescription opioid drug users

Quite often, those using drugs and alcohol don’t start with a desire to use. Most often, they reach out to drugs like alcohol and heroin as a way to stop underlying pain or emotional stress. That is why a comprehensive treatment plan is necessary. It can address the particular needs of a person suffering through substance use disorder.

What Can You Do About It?

When you realize the causes of substance use are impacting you and your life, you can take action to get help. At Bayview Recovery, we provide a wide range of treatment options to give you the tools and resources to improve your health and wellbeing.

When you come in to see our counselors, we will talk about what is happening and why you think it started. Sometimes you may know precisely what situation in your history brought on the drug or alcohol use. It could have been a traumatic experience. In other cases, you’re just not sure. This uncertainty does not hinder your treatment for substance use disorder.

Your treatment may include our intensive outpatient treatment, outpatient, or partial hospitalization programs. We design each of these programs to give you the tools you need to recover. You will also get help for dual diagnosis treatment, which can help with any underlying mental health disorders that could be impacting your overall ability to stop using drugs or alcohol.

At Bayview Recovery, you will have a customized substance abuse treatment plan developed to meet your unique needs. It will focus on your health and long-term recovery by addressing the underlying abuse of substance abuse in your life. Our programs can provide you with the tools to move into sobriety. There, you can find your strength and begin healing.

Are You Struggling with Addiction? Bayview Recovery Can Help

At Bayview Recovery, we provide a comprehensive level of treatment to help you with the causes of substance abuse impacting your life. When you turn to our team for help, you will receive personalized treatment in a warm and friendly atmosphere. We understand what you’re facing and can help. Call us today to learn more at 855.478.3650.