Links between Social Behavior and Drug Use

A recent study showed a correlation between a teen’s lack of sleep and their likelihood for experimenting with drugs such as marijuana.

Teens are heavily influenced by the actions and feelings of people around them. Studies have shown that behavior patterns can spread “virally” through groups of teen friends — behaviors such as being happy, obesity or smoking can influence a teen’s friends and also multiple degrees of separation within a social network. Teens can be good or bad influences on each other, either creating positive environments or leading social groups down the path of drug abuse and addiction treatment.

Recently, researchers at the University California, San Diego and Harvard University mapped the social networks of 8,349 students in grades 7 through 12, specifically targeting the behaviors of drug use and sleep patterns. One finding was that clusters of poor sleep patterns and the type of marijuana use that leads to drug rehabs could extend to four degrees of separation within a social network (i.e. a friend’s friend’s friend’s friend.)

The study also showed an interesting correlation between a lack of sleep and drug use that could end with treatment in a drug addiction center. The study showed that teens who are at the center of a social group are at a greater risk to not get enough sleep. This, in turn, led them to be more likely to use drugs like marijuana and end up with a drug addiction that could cause them to end up in drug or alcohol rehabs.

Sara C. Mednick, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the VA San Diego Healthcare System, said in a press release that the study shows that behaviors are connected, and that even something as seemingly benign as teens not getting enough sleep could wind up influencing behaviors that end with them in an addiction treatment program.

“Our behaviors are connected to each other and we need to start thinking about how one behavior affects our lives on many levels,” said Sara C. Mednick, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the VA San Diego Healthcare System. “Therefore, when parents, schools and law enforcement want to look for ways to influence one outcome, such as drug use, our research suggests that targeting another behavior, like sleep, may have a positive influence. They should be promoting healthy sleep habits that eliminate behaviors which interfere with sleep: take the TV out of the child’s bedroom, limit computer and phone usage to daytime and early evening hours, and promote napping.”

The study challenges previous notions that drug use such as marijuana was linked to excessive sleep. These results could also change how teens are handled during their stint in an addiction program, with an extra emphasis placed on making sure teens get enough sleep.

Personalized Addiction Treatment  

Addiction treatments vary depending on the type of addiction and (if applicable) any coexisting disorders and underlying mental health issues. While one person may need serious residential treatment another may require occasional support, which is why a personalized addiction treatment plan is one of the most important factors to consider when selecting a rehabilitation center.

 The purpose of any addiction treatment program should be to develop a personalized treatment plan that addresses the individual as a whole. This means that the facility should be able to diagnose and treat each person’s addiction, existing medical conditions and any emotional or psychological problems.

An alcohol and drug addiction center should also offer a wide range of programs for therapy and recovery. Cirque Lodge, a leading addiction rehabilitation center in Utah, offers many programs for its residents including personal one-on-one sessions, group-based treatments, workshops and 12-step elements. The center also offers special programming focused on working with the family.

All treatment plans should be continued even long after alcohol or drug rehab is completed. For example, Cirque Lodge also offers a continuation treatment plan to ensure that people receive treatment and the additional support they need when they return to normal life.

Alcohol Rehabilitation – A struggle

Alcohol rehabilitation can be a struggle for those afflicted as most people do not consider it to be a problem let alone an addiction. Yet when it gets out of hand, in cases where temper tantrums become the norm, leading to acts of violence, it can turn out to be an eye opener for the addict.

However, alcohol treatment is anything but opting to stop the habit ‘cold turkey’ as it only aggravates the addiction, as the body (and the central nervous system) continues to depend on the bottle for relief or relaxation, and so without any alcohol intake, one can succumb to the adverse affects of taking such actions.

Alcohol rehabilitation experts understand that the addiction to alcohol is very simply an uncontrollable impulse to drink which can lead to one losing their job, family, friends and everything that they would hold dear, and so, alcohol rehab programs emphasize on a loving and professional ‘intervention’ of the addict with a drug treatment professional.

Since each case can be different from the others, careful research into the medical and the alcohol abuse history of the addict is taken into account, thus providing personalized care to each addict that is admitted. Dual diagnosis, experiential therapy, support group and group therapy are some methods by which an addict can be helped to find freedom from the bottle for good.

So remember, it is never too late to have your loved one rehabilitated from the destruction caused by alcohol.