subject: How To Prevent Addiction Before It Starts [print this page] Addiction is an illness that can easily destroy lives and end them. Once addiction has a foothold in a person's life, it can be extremely difficult to end it and stop the consequences from becoming dire. Whenever possible, it is best to prevent addiction. If it can never take hold, it cannot wreak havoc on a person's mental and physical well-being.
Find Healthy Outlets
One very common cause of addiction is hardship. People might turn to alcohol, drugs or tobacco when they face hardships at work, home and school. Having a network of loving friends and family as well as healthy outlets for frustration, anger and sadness will help curb the temptation to turn to substance abuse as a crutch. These outlets can be hobbies, sports, work, travel and just about anything that helps focus attention on more positive things.
Avoid Triggers
Some things in life trigger addiction. These things can be having too much time on one's hands, vacations or friends that do drugs, though triggers tend to vary from person to person. Recognizing what could potentially draw one into doing drugs or drinking alcohol and then avoiding those things is a good way to steer clear of addiction. Another method is exposure therapy of sorts. Learn to cope with these triggers without being drawn toward addictive substances.
End Toxic Relationships
Unhealthy relationships are very hard on the mind and body. Stress can lead to poor decision-making, health problems and much more. These relationships can trigger addiction when individuals use addictive substances to cope with them. This is particularly true if the other partner is an addict. It is important to get out of these relationships for a number of reasons. Potential for addiction is only one of them.
Focus on Self-Improvement/Goals
Many people who avoid addiction in their lives are goal-oriented. They strive to achieve goals that addiction would likely render impossible. Through constant self-improvement and goal setting/achieving, these people avoid all of the triggers for addiction. Their time is focused on efforts that make them happy and fulfilled. However, some people who are happy and fulfilled may turn to addictive substances for fun, thinking it cannot affect them because their lives are in order. Their lives can fall apart fast, though. That is why it is always important to remember that all happiness requires maintenance.
Learning about addiction early in life can help instill the above preventative tools in young people before they have a chance to become addicted. Knowing the negative consequences from an early age will teach children to avoid drugs and maybe even help those who have become addicted, thus breaking the cycle of addiction for another.
