The great question has always been, how does someone end up with an addiction? What propelled somebody to become addicted to drugs, alcohol, sex, or food. Factors can include genetics or something external like childhood trauma or the way somebody was brought up. So, this begs the question once again - is it nature or nurture?
The answer is much more complicated, as both nature and nurture influence, and our choice determines the outcome.
One of the most common factors involved in addiction is that there has always been some trauma in the individual's life. Many families argue that a child growing up has a great life. Still, we are unaware of outside influences that could have created trauma, such as bullying, sexual assault, and physical beatings that never get reported to a parent.
A fundamental belief here is that stressful environments induce stress, which affects people and their behavior.
In addition, individuals who associate with others who abuse alcohol or drugs are more likely to engage in that behavior. And as the use around a person ebbs and flows in quantity and variety, so does their behavior.
However, there are numerous additional environmental influences beyond friends. Parental influence, cultural norms, media representation, and learned physical associations are also environmental factors that contribute to addiction.
Environmental factors that influence addiction
Family dynamics and interactions. One of the most substantial external factors influencing addictive behavior is early life experiences. Family interactions, parenting styles, and levels of supervision play a pivotal role in the development of later mental health difficulties, including substance use. We develop strategies to cope with stress in our early years of life. When these strategies are maladaptive (due to a need to survive in the face of adversity), they can lead to risky or self-destructive behaviors. This means that in adolescence or adulthood, these internal triggers are activated by external factors. Authoritarian and avoidant parenting, exposure to physical/emotional/sexual abuse, and divorce have all been associated with an increased likelihood of substance use problems later in life.
Peer groups. When an individual's social interactions rely heavily on associating with individuals who display potential alcohol or drug problems, it can be challenging to exorcise yourself from similarly displaying such problematic behaviors. The sense of belonging and feeling connected to like-minded people is a substantial factor in maintaining addiction. Friends' habits and behavior patterns will invariably affect everyone in the group as they experience peer pressure. Research has shown that individuals with more permissive and less critical views of drug use are more likely to engage in such use (obviously). Further, earlier use and exposure are typically associated with more likelihood of later problems.
Social media. While social media has many social benefits, there are also many social downfalls. When an individual struggling with emotional problems sees other people online who appear happy, attractive and enjoying life, it can make them feel further socially isolated, damage their self-esteem, and exacerbate feelings of shame. There is growing evidence that increased social media use can worsen the mental health struggles of those already susceptible to them. Unfortunately, it is doubtful that this trend will shift soon. However, several groups and influencers are beginning to rise who put their imperfections and difficulties front and center to fight stigma and shame.
Published media. Other media avenues such as video games, movies, and television shows influence people's behaviors. From displays of substance use and other behavior that border (or
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