The best defense against addiction is prevention

As we already know, prevention is always better than having to intervene, especially if what we are talking about is addiction to any substance or behavior. The truth is that it is always better to put the means so that the damages that an addiction entails do not appear.

There are people who think that an addiction cannot be cured, and they are wrong. It is difficult, it takes time and commitment, but it is possible to overcome it and leave it behind. And at Fromm Bienestar we have been helping people to achieve this for a long time. Of course, addictions can be prevented as long as we have a plan for it.

• Related article: "The 14 most important types of addictions"

Can addiction be prevented? How?

We will say that yes, addiction can be prevented, but it is necessary to mention that this disease does not appear out of nowhere; there are factors and aspects that condition the potential addict towards dependency. It is like the example that is always set: the more lottery tickets you carry, the more likely it is that it will touch you.

It must be said that there are many aspects that influence the development of an addiction, and that it is very difficult to have them all under control. However, there are some that are more easily noticeable than others and that can be intervened before they become more serious. Some of them are the ones we point out below:

1. Low mood and depression

When a person we care about is sad and we see him, it is more, if we see him too down, We can consider that this is the first symptom that something may be happening, and we must be alert.

Note that two of the main aspects that cause a possible addiction are precisely depression and sadness. That is why it is important to worry and try to help that person, try to see what is the origin of her state. We can try to show her that we care, that we support her without making value judgments and talking to her constantly.

• You may be interested in: "Major Depression: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment"

2. The influence of the group

One of the factors that can powerfully influence a person's behavior is the group, those individuals that you surround yourself with. If the person we are talking about is always with people who we think are not recommended, it is essential to be vigilant and be very cautious. Telling them openly may not be the solution, as all it will cause is rejection of us.

What can be done is to try to make him understand that he is not with the most appropriate company, and that although we are concerned, the final decision about whether or not he wants to be in that company is hers. It is not about getting into your life and your decisions, but accompanying you and giving you our point of view. If we can do it, this will be a very interesting tool to help you change.

3. Bad habits make it much more difficult to prevent an addiction

This is exactly so, as is. It is essential to have healthy and positive lifestyle habits, and, if we want to help someone to prevent addiction, we have to foster in that person the habits we are talking about.

Some bad habits can be for example sleeping too much, eating incorrectly, not having any established schedules for our vital rhythm and many others that we see in people around us daily.

Providing advice and help on how to establish positive routines can be a great idea, since they will help the person to have the psychological balance that he needs.

In conclusion

To summarize, it is true that we cannot control everything, and that addiction prevention sometimes involves factors and aspects that are beyond our control. However, we can do certain things so that there is less chance that that person will develop an addiction.

It will be essential to transmit values ​​and norms that you can internalize without seeing them as something imposed, but see them as your own. Nor can we forget that addiction arises as an element that helps us avoid a situation or a feeling, to manage a painful situation.