Wasted | Part 4

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) - Signs and Risks

Oct 01, 2024

There are a variety of factors that cause people to become addicted to drugs and alcohol: family history, mental health disorders, peer pressure, lack of family involvement, and early use.

As a recreational user in my youth and, later, a victim of emotional/verbal abuse from an alcoholic partner, I’ve seen the devastation that addiction wreaks on families. Codependency often exists when one person enables the destructive behavior of another.

This is Part 4 of a brief series on addiction. You can read the previous posts by clicking below:

Wasted | Part 1

Wasted | Part 2

Wasted | Part 3

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Addiction isn’t the reason that people start drinking, and it typically begins in their early years.

Ninety percent of Americans who meet the clinical criteria for addiction started using substances before the age of 18.

The teen years are tough. Sandwiched between childhood and adulthood, that’s the period where we’re trying to establish essential components of ourselves like:

Independence
Body Image
Peer Relations
Identity

This involves experimentation in deciding who we are and what we want from life, including what classes to take, friends, clothing, music, plans, and goals. I always considered the so-called ‘formative years’ (birth to 8) as the most important. This is a critical period of rapid physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth.

I wrote about identity, attachment style, and childhood emotional neglect, all of which determine how youngsters cope as they head into adolescence.

Researching addiction also helped me realize the importance of guidance and direction as children transition into their teenage years.

You’ll often hear me say I had good parents because I did. But no one is perfect, and my folks didn’t pay as much attention to my activities as they should have.

We grew up in the 1960s and 1970s, were given lots of freedom, and our whereabouts mostly went unchecked. There weren’t any extracurricular opportunities like today, so we entertained ourselves. We rode our bikes farther than allowed and did risky stuff like jumping trains and playing with fire.

Dad was at work, relying on Mom to oversee us kids, but she was busy doing her homemaker stuff.

That was just how people did things back then.

Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a complex condition in which there is uncontrolled use of a substance despite harmful consequences. People with SUD have an intense focus--sometimes called an addiction--on using a certain substance(s) such as alcohol, tobacco, or other psychoactive substances, to the point where their ability to function in day-to-day life becomes impaired. People keep using the substance even when they know it is causing or will cause problems. 1

Signs of SUD

Consuming the substance (if it’s prescribed) in more significant amounts and for more extended periods than intended.
Having a strong desire/urge to use the substance.
Having unsuccessful efforts to cut back on or manage substance use.
Spending more time obtaining, using, or recovering from the effects of the substance.
Difficulty fulfilling responsibilities at work, school, or home.
Continued use even when it causes problems in relationships.
Giving up social, occupational, or recreational activities.
Repeated use even when it puts you in danger.
Continued use despite an ongoing physical or psychological problem that’s caused or worsened by the substance.
Developing tolerance or need for increased amounts to get the same effect.
Experiencing withdrawal symptoms, which can be relieved by taking more of the substance. 2

Risks of SUD

Family history of addiction - Involves an increased risk based on genes. If you have a blood relative, such as a parent or sibling, with alcohol/drug addiction, you're at a greater threat of developing a drug addiction.
Mental health disorder - If you have a separate mental health issue such as depression, ADHD, or PTSD, you’re more likely to become addicted.
Peer pressure - This is a motivator to start using substances, especially for younger people.
Lack of family involvement - An absence of parental supervision/bond or difficult family situations can trigger use.
Early use - Starting at an early age causes changes in the developing brain and increases the likelihood of drug addiction.
Taking highly addictive substances - Certain drugs are more addictive than others (stimulants, cocaine, opioid painkillers). Smoking or injecting substances also increases the potential for addiction. 3

SUD is a pervasive problem today, but the good news is it’s NOT a moral failure and CAN be treated. However, the addict has to acknowledge and accept their complicity with drug use and take responsibility for recovery.