In the recent years, it has been found that instances of opioid substance abuse have been rising at an alarming rate in the state of Iowa. Statistics show that overdosing on opioid variants has resulted in the death of 61 residents of Iowa in 2015 alone. Apart from the regular heroin and its synthetic variants, prescription drugs such as morphine, OxyContin and Fentanyl are also contributing to a great degree towards the rise in substance abuse. While the enforcement of drug laws for controlled substances in the state definitely needs to step up, experts agree that it is imperative to understand the reasons that may lead to substance abuse in the first place.
Peer Pressure and Family Influence
Although a drug abuser can be of any age, it is usually during the teen years or in early adulthood that a person picks up the habit. The environment and the social network around a young mind plays perhaps the biggest role in shaping his/her future, so it isn’t really a big surprise that the first taste of an opioid is often supplied by a peer or someone close. The immature mind sees friends, classmates and seniors going around doing the same thing and accepts the activity as “normal,” with the mindset that it can be controlled. In fact, popular role models, especially in the music industry frequently reference drug use in their songs, which leads those that idolize them into believing that taking a certain substance will “help them.” Stats also show that the chances of a teenager getting addicted to any drug are much greater when they have family members who are addicted to one substance or another.
Depression, Bipolar Disorder and Other Psychological Problems
Counselling for substance abuse research from Rutgers Online reveals a host of underlying mental health issues, which either directly or indirectly causes a person to resort to drugs. Depression is the number one culprit in such cases, as taking opioids often provides patients with a temporary sense of elation and relaxation. Symptoms of anxiety, bipolar disorder, etc. also may temporarily fade away, making the person feel better and even act normal. However, these effects are temporary and when abusing for a significant amount of time, the brain becomes incapable of functioning normally without the help of these substances. The physical and psychological dependence, the destructive side effects, the ever increasing tolerance, along with the actual underlying mental disease which was never treated properly, ultimately destroys the individual in every way with each passing day.
Unintentional Addiction to Opioid Painkillers
It could simply be the fact that the person had at one time suffered from injuries or a debilitating disease, which the doctor had to treat with powerful painkillers such as morphine or OxyContin. Studies show that there is always a chance that patients using opioid painkillers may develop a dependency on it. As the drugs are intended to make the patient feel better, they may continue to rely on them, even when the actual physical cause for taking them has subsided.
There are other reasons such as stress and even something as trivial as boredom, which are leading today’s youth towards opioids, mainly due to their ease of availability. The good news is that in order to counteract the unfortunate situation in Iowa and to help addicted individuals anywhere in the United States, more and more therapists with degrees in substance abuse counselling from reputed institutes such Rutgers Online as are stepping up.
