The Psychology of Alcoholism and Drug Addiction

Alcoholism and drug addiction are complex illnesses. Getting to the bottom of their causes isn't straightforward.
The fact that alcoholism and drug addiction is to a large degree hereditary due to genetic influences, certainly explains one of their major causes. But most significantly, we're largely shaped by our environment - parents, the media, our peers and our various experiences.
So when considering the impact our psychological makeup plays in drug addiction and alcoholism - our psychological makeup is largely formed in our formative childhood years - mostly from our family environment, particularly our parents.
Generally speaking - if we come from a generally loving, stable and supportive family environment (especially in our early childhood years) - it usually means we grow up with better self confidence and are more comfortable with ourselves and who we are.
However, if our younger years are filled with some sort of trauma, instability or emotional turmoil - like there being alcoholism in the family, abuse, losing a loved one, our parents separating, or anything we regard as being traumatic - we tend to create all sorts of coping mechanisms to help us deal with that, which can then show up in our lives in a number of different ways.
These could include any or a combination of anger, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, withdrawing from society, excessive fear and worry, and substance abuse - which in turn can lead to alcoholism and drug addiction.
If you speak to someone who has suffered from alcoholism or drug addiction, chances are there will be something pretty traumatic that happened to them when they were young. Having a parent that struggled with alcoholism was my main one - and obviously the impact that then had on our family.
Of course that won't always be the case and I'm sure you'll find many drug addicts and alcoholics who came from stable, loving and supportive environments. But when looking at alcoholism and psychology - and trying to understand the psychology of alcoholism and drug addiction, hopefully you'll now have a better understanding of things.

Article Source: http://www.articleselections.com

Carl-Peter talks more in depth on the Psychology of Alcoholism and Drug Addiction on his website. Pieces of his that are particularly well-liked are the one on Depression and Alcoholism and the other one on Alcoholism and Anxiety.

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