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Best Ways to Prevent Substance Abuse In 2021

Drug addiction causes changes to the brain, making it harder to control impulses and make decisions. Addiction also negatively impacts your health in a variety of ways. Substance abuse can indirectly impact your friends and family, but there are ways to avoid this. There are many Ways to Prevent Substance Abuse which will be discussed below including information on substance abuse programs and the Best Substance Abuse Treatment Programs for young adults. Some of the proven ways are following:
  • A healthy fulfilling schedule
  • Spending Quality time with friends and family
  • Keeping up with work, school
  • Positive hobbies
  • Learning new art forms such as guitar and cooking
  • Ignoring peer pressure
Preventing substance abuse involves many factors such as how you handle stressful situations, who you involve yourself with in your daily life, what you do during your free time, how you think of yourself, and the prescriptions you take.[1] A Great Way to Avoid Substance Abuse is to not use drugs at an early age, because when you use illegal drugs before your brain has fully developed, it makes addiction much higher. If substance abuse has already started to affect you, the best thing to do is to get help. Going into treatment can save your life and will allow you to get your life back. Developing an aftercare plan for substance abuse is also very important to continue your recovery.  

Substance Abuse is Most Accurately Defined as

What is substance abuse? Substance abuse is most accurately defined as when you are using to the point where it affects every aspect of your life including those around you. Substance Abuse becomes a form of self-soothing and as a way to cope with anxiousness, anxiety, depression, trauma, etc. Abusing prescription medication or using illegal drugs recreationally and frequently are how drug addictions start out. When you start using illegal drugs for recreational purposes, you will start to use more and want to be intoxicated more often.  

How Can We Avoid Substance Abuse?

There are many ways to avoid and prevent substance abuse including having a healthy fulfilling schedule.[2]Spending time with friends and family, keeping up with work, school, and positive hobbies are all great ways to how we can avoid substance abuse. Another way we can avoid addiction is by not giving in to peer pressure, and this may be more difficult for people who may struggle with low self-esteem. Taking care of yourself mentally and physically can help boost self-esteem, as well as doing things that make you feel more confident. It’s important to know how low self esteem can lead to substance abuse and how you can work on boosting your self-esteem. It’s also very important to be aware of the many risks involved with abusing drugs as well as the risk factors of what leads individuals to abuse drugs including:
  • Aggressive behavior (usually starts early in life)
  • Lack of parental supervision/ lack of parental care
  • People around you are using drugs
  • Poverty
  • Access to drugs
It’s also crucial to manage your mental health, because many drug addictions are also co-occurring meaning there is addiction and mental health problems. There may be signs of substance abuse in the workplace, and if you are equipped with the skills to recognize these situations, it is best to look for other employment. Substance abuse in the workplace can lead to forms of peer pressure and can be potentially harmful to everyone’s health.  

How Long is a Substance Abuse Program?

There are Different Treatment Programs in place to fit the needs of the individual and their related drug use. How long is a substance abuse program? There really is no predetermined length of stay when it comes to the individual. It is all based on an assessment according to your withdrawal and tolerance levels. Studies have shown though that long term treatment is more effective towards recovery.[3] Residential and outpatient treatment typically require 90 days but will recommend more time as for better effectiveness. When given methadone, treatment is normally about a year or more and methadone has been shown as very effective with long term care.  

Ways To Prevent Substance Abuse

steps to sobriety Here are five of the best ways we can avoid substance abuse.
  1. Ignoring peer pressure, standing up to peer pressure. This is vital because peer pressure can be a starting point to drug addiction. Maybe your friends or even your family have encouraged you to do drugs with them. Saying no to drugs may seem embarrassing in the moment but can truly save your life in the end. This may mean choosing different groups of friends to surround yourself with.
  2. Managing mental illness is so important. There are many forms of therapy used today to help alleviate mental health symptoms as well as to help you change your way of thinking. You will also learn new skills to use in your daily life calling coping mechanism. Coping mechanisms that are healthy and constructive can help keep you away from drugs.
  3. Keeping a balanced healthy lifestyle can benefit not only you but those around you. Make goals for yourself and write them down, diving short term goals and long-term goals and work towards completing them. When you are focusing on healthy life plans, you will have a brighter future to look forward to. Having a healthy balanced and structured life also brings in more positive people into your life.
  4. Know the risk factors of drug abuse and what leads to addiction. Understanding your personal situation can help you avoid drugs. Maybe the people closest to you struggle with addiction or your parents, which can cause generational addiction. By being aware of risk factors, you will have a better advantage to breaking that generational cycle of addiction in the family.
  5. Knowing how to identify drug abuse and how it develops can also benefit you in many ways. Drug use becomes problematic when you are using constantly to get high. It will affect all aspects of your daily life.
 

Aftercare Plan for Substance Abuse

There are many benefits of substance abuse counseling and treatment including aftercare programs and ongoing support. Developing an aftercare plan for substance abuse is a great way to stay in recovery, and therapists as well as support groups can help you create an aftercare plan. What is an aftercare plan? Aftercare is what happens after rehab, it generally involves 12 step meetings, continued therapy, continued outpatient care, and sober living.[4] Forward Recovery offers clinical detox, residential and outpatient treatment, intensive outpatient programs, outpatient and aftercare plans. You can reach Forward Recovery today by visiting their website here Best Alcohol and Drug Rehab Residential Treatment Program or by calling them at (844)387-6889.  

Best Substance Abuse Treatment Programs for Young Adults

Adolescents are at an increased risk for giving in to peer pressure which can lead to the use of illegal drugs. If you are seeking treatment as an adolescent or are a parent looking for the best substance abuse treatments for young adults, you are in the right place. If you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms and wish to detox, know that it is never a good idea to try to self-detox at home. Self-detox without the help of professionals can be potentially life threatening. Know that help is out there, and you have the choice to seek treatment and go into recovery. Addiction is a chronic disease, and you should not feel at fault for becoming addicted to substances. The best thing you can do is enroll into rehab and start your road to recovery with Forward Recovery.  

Citations

Treatment Solutions. 2021. 5 Ways to Prevent Substance Abuse | Treatment Solutions. [online] Available at: https://treatmentsolutions.com/blog/top-5-ways-to-prevent-substance-abuse/. American Addiction Centers. 2021. Addiction Aftercare Programs, Activities & Support Groups Near Me. [online] Available at: https://americanaddictioncenters.org/addiction-treatment-aftercare. American Addiction Centers. 2021. Can You Prevent Substance Abuse?. [online] Available at: https://americanaddictioncenters.org/blog/five-tips-help-prevent-substance-abuse. National Institute on Drug Abuse. 2021. How long does drug addiction treatment usually last? | National Institute on Drug Abuse. [online] Available at: https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/principles-drug-addiction-treatment-research-based-guide-third-edition/frequently-asked-questions/how-long-does-drug-addiction-treatment-usually-last. HelpGuide.org. 2021. Overcoming Drug Addiction – HelpGuide.org. [online] Available at: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/addictions/overcoming-drug-addiction.htm. National Institute on Drug Abuse. 2021. Preventing Drug Misuse and Addiction: The Best Strategy | National Institute on Drug Abuse. [online] Available at: https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/preventing-drug-misuse-addiction-best-strategy. Staff, C., 2021. How to Prevent Substance Abuse. [online] Casa Palmera. Available at: https://casapalmera.com/blog/how-to-prevent-substance-abuse/. Addictionresource.net. 2021. Top 5 Teen-Only Alcohol And Drug Rehab Centers. [online] Available at: https://www.addictionresource.net/best-drug-rehab-centers/teen/. Gateway. 2021. What is Substance Abuse? Treatment, Prevention in Illinois. [online] Available at: https://www.gatewayfoundation.org/faqs/what-is-substance-abuse/.                     [1]Overcoming Drug Addiction – HelpGuide.org [2]How to Prevent Substance Abuse (casapalmera.com) [3]How long does drug addiction treatment usually last? | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) [4]Addiction Aftercare Programs, Activities & Support Groups Near Me (americanaddictioncenters.org)
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