How to effectively prevent substance abuse

Recognizing the risk of substance abuse is the first step in developing effective prevention strategies. There are many factors that can increase vulnerability to addiction, but taking preventative measures can help reduce that risk significantly.
While there is no infallible approach on how to prevent addiction, there are several strategies to make the likelihood less likely. Having a strategy and a safety net in place can significantly lessen the likelihood relapsing or engaging in substance abuse.
To this end, we explore 5 ways to avoid substance abuse which can create a healthy environment that is conducive to your ongoing recovery. South Africa is home to a burgeoning population of recovering addicts, counsellors, and specialists, making it an excellent setting for the best drug rehabilitation centres South Africa. Get in touch with us for more information on our affordable rehab South Africa.

Substance Abuse Prevention Methods

How to effectively prevent substance abuse

Talk to an addiction specialist

Addiction has life-altering repercussions for the user as well as their loved ones. Thankfully, with some work, you can work towards the prevention of substance abuse. If you know the signs to look for in friends or family members who may be having difficulties, you may lend them assistance rather than enable them. The preventive measures of substance abuse are not always simple as one may imagine. But even a small amount of care during these moments can greatly assist the recipient in making it through to the other side.

If you find yourself struggling with the urge to use a substance, talking to a trained addiction specialist can help you to get through this moment by identifying your triggers, regaining your mental equilibrium and finding tips for preventing substance abuse.

Set up a network of people that you can ask for help

It’s important to plan how to get treatment if you or someone you care about has a problem with substance abuse. This can be set up in a variety of ways.
Choose a close person to whom you can turn for help in case of a crisis. You should seek out a medical or mental health professional in whom you have complete confidence. It’s usually preferable to have a few backup plans in case one fails.

Learn more about your family history in order to understand yourself better

Substance use disorders often develop in a specific context, such as a dysfunctional family. It becomes easier to adopt harmful behaviours if you grew up in a home where one or more family members regularly engaged in substance abuse. Researchers have found that a person’s risk of developing an addiction increases when they have a close personal or family link with someone who has a history of substance abuse. When one has a close relative with a substance abuse problem, for instance, that person is at a much higher chance of having similar issues.

In South Africa, substance abuse is sadly a common problem due to the many socio-economic factors which exist. When addiction is a learned behaviour, figuring out how to avoid substance abuse in South Africa might be hard.
Developing a treatment and recovery plan is the first step, while learning more about the context in which your addiction developed my help you to identify and overcome these triggers as they arise.

Gain insight into the function of addiction

The first step in a person’s downward spiral into addiction is frequently experimentation with alcohol or other drugs. As time goes on, you actively seek out the intoxicating effects of the substance. An alcoholic needs to get intoxicated and will drink excessively to attain this goal.
Factors that increase exposure to risk can also be used to estimate a person’s vulnerability to addiction. By being aware of these causes and taking corrective action, substance misuse can be prevented.
If you’re worried that a friend or loved one is unintentionally heading down the path to addiction, here are some things to watch out for:
·         Deliberately seeking out intoxication
·         Creating habits in order to become high or intoxicated
·         A noted addiction to prescription drugs
·         Mounting financial troubles, indebtedness and frequent borrowing
·         Alterations to one’s appearance, such as a loss of weight
·         Consistently running into trouble with the law

Focus on self-care

The most important person in your life should be you, thus taking care of yourself is crucial. It’s easy to justify treating yourself to a haircut or a massage as a selfish act, but these actions are anything but. You have to treat yourself with respect if you want to feel like your best self.
Spending time alone reading or meditating for even 10 minutes a day can be considered self-care. Taking a moment to pause and think before acting can prevent a person from making a disastrous decision.
Substance addiction is the antithesis of caring for oneself. While abusing your substance of choice might feel good at the time, the effects it has on your physical well-being and your life are highly destructive.
Therefore, when you find yourself in need of some mental or emotional relief, replacing the use of the damaging substance with something as simple as a massage can have the same effect without the negative consequences.

We also take a look at physical effects of substance sbuse.