Will Being Around Narcotic Abuse Cause Me to Become a User Too?

All people have a will of their own and are able to make decisions that lead them to certain points in their lives. However, being around people constantly who abuse narcotics can possibly lead you to do so as well.

Risk Factors for Addiction and Abuse

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Risk for addiction is influenced by a combination of factors that include individual biology, social environment, and age or stage of development.” While these factors are traditionally used to determine whether or not a person will become addicted if they start using drugs, they can also show how likely someone might be to start abusing substances.

Being around people who consistently abuse narcotics is part of your social environment. It will start to seem normal to you, and you may be more likely to abuse these drugs too, as well as become addicted to them. If you have narcotic abusers in your family, this is also part of your biologic makeup and will predispose you to a higher likelihood of abuse and addiction in your own life. Depending on your age and stage of development as well, you may be more likely to abuse these drugs because they seem cool to you and all the people you know use them.

Pressure from Others

Teens and young adults are easily pressured into using narcotics by their peers.

One of the reasons why many people say they started abusing drugs, especially teenagers and young people, is because they felt pressured to do so by the other people in their lives. They felt that they wanted to fit in or to know what the other people were experiencing and why they liked it so much. If you start to notice yourself having thoughts like these, there is a strong likelihood that you may begin to use narcotics dangerously too.

Being Accustomed to Drug Use

Knowing all your friends or people in your family consistently abuse narcotics can make it hard to resist it yourself. These actions will begin to seem like a normal part of life, and you may very likely become accustomed to drug use. This is a serious issue because the more normal it seems to you, the more likely you might be to try it or continue it.

What Should I Do?

If you have friends who are abusing narcotics and want you to do so with them, it may be time to tell them how you feel about their drug use and about how they may need to seek treatment. Remember not to put yourself in danger, though, and know that it is okay to distance yourself from people who do not respect your needs or who may be putting you in danger with their drug abuse.

If you have begun using drugs yourself––or even if you are just thinking about it––it is also important to step back from this situation. You should also seek treatment if you’ve begun abusing narcotics and experienced serious or dangerous side effects.

Call 877-743-0081 (Who Answers?) today to find out more about narcotic abuse help. You do not need to give in, but if you stay around those in your life who do abuse drugs, it will often get harder to avoid it yourself, so seek help today.

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