Young People and Addictions: Cultivating Self-Awareness is Key

“Control and intimidation do not solve problems. Instead, they only teach young people to hide their addictions. The most crucial thing is to cultivate young people’s self-awareness – only then will they realise that they are solely responsible for their own choices,” says Juozapa Živilė Mieliauskaitė, a doctoral student at the Department of Sociology at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU).

Dr. Loreta Zajančkauskaitė-Staskevičienė, a lecturer and medical psychologist at the VMU Department of Psychology, also supports this view. As a specialist who provides psychological counselling to students at the university, she notes that although there is a wealth of easily accessible information about addictions on the internet, young people are often “unaware” of what they do not want to know.

“For example, they claim that they smoke marijuana to solve emotional problems or to concentrate better. If that doesn’t work, they look for other reasons. Students don’t fully understand the consequences, progression, or duration of the disease and are quite naive about it. I believe that there can never be too much education and prevention in this area,” asserts the specialist, who constantly deals with addictions in her work.

Addiction spares no social group

Currently investigating how individuals manage to reintegrate into society and engage socially after rehabilitation, Mieliauskaitė references her previous research that examined the recovery process of those recovering from addictions. Throughout the research, she spent time in rehabilitation with the patients, which, according to her, not only allowed her to closely observe all processes but also to witness how an addict’s identity changed to that of a person in recovery.

“It was this experience that opened my eyes to the fact that addiction is a constant suffering,” says Mieliauskaitė, adding that the denial of addiction as a problem still prevails in society. Dr. Zajančkauskaitė-Staskevičienė concurs, noting a trend where more young people believe, for example, that smoking cannabis does not cause addiction.

“Unfortunately, research and practitioners’ experience suggest otherwise. Alongside psychoactive substance addiction, the International Classification of Diseases currently lists only one behavioural addiction – compulsive gambling. However, researchers speak of many more behavioural addictions, including those related to the internet, shopping, sex, work, and exercise. The list of potential objects of addiction is practically endless,” the specialist describes the worrying trends.

According to the VMU psychologist, there are also no specific personality traits or experiences that would determine a person’s propensity for addiction. Heredity, neurological traits, or living in a substance-abusing environment increase the risk of becoming addicted, but part of the responsibility always lies with the individual. “It depends on what you yourself do, knowing your potentially complicated heredity: whether you do your best to protect yourself from addiction or, conversely, succumb and justify it as being predestined. Studies of survivors of mass disasters have shown that disasters are not a cause for addiction, as those who have experienced such disasters do not become addicted more than the general population. Researchers have compiled long lists of risk factors, such as the availability of psychoactive substances and peers who abuse drugs, which can predispose young people to addictions,” says Dr. Zajančkauskaitė-Staskevičienė.

Mieliauskaitė also adds that individuals who have witnessed similar patterns of behaviour during their childhood and later learnt them might be predisposed to substance abuse. However, according to the doctoral student, there are also many addicts who are educated, hold good jobs, and occupy high positions in society.

She cites the story of one informant from her study as an example: “At the time, he was 36 years old and had been addicted to heroin since he was 16 – a total of 20 years. Not coming from a family at risk, he tried heroin out of curiosity and immediately became hooked. During our interview, which lasted an hour, he repeatedly said the same sentence: ‘I went to rehab, stayed there, relapsed.’ This clearly illustrates the continual experience of suffering. There are many people who want to be sober and change their lives. However, until they become sober, they do not understand the consequences they create for their loved ones, especially children. And when that realisation comes, they experience great terror,” the researcher explains.

According to Mieliauskaitė, there are also many losses in the lives of those suffering from addictions. “They lose relationships, education, money, freedom. However, substance use remains their top priority, so they tolerate these losses. Those who end up in rehab are those who have reached a critical point and realise they can no longer tolerate these losses. Due to the ability to tolerate these losses for a long time and the lack of major commitments or responsibilities, young people reach this threshold less frequently,” the researcher notes.

Meanwhile, comparing the propensity for certain addictions between the younger and older generations, the VMU researcher notes that the older generation is more inclined to consume alcohol, influenced by its easy availability. “To obtain narcotics, you need to know how to do it, whereas alcohol can be purchased in almost any shop. At the other extreme, teenagers are afraid of being exposed to adults by smoking regular cigarettes, as these can be easily smelled. Instead, they opt for electronic ones into which they can pour any substance, and no one will smell it,” explains the doctoral student.

She also mentions that recent studies show a sharp increase in drug use during the pandemic. Informants in her study, who are currently undergoing rehabilitation, say that working remotely significantly contributed to more frequent drug use – it became convenient to use drugs both during and after work hours.

Rehabilitation not accessible to all

Speaking about the recognition of addiction and the course of treatment, Dr. Zajančkauskaitė-Staskevičienė emphasises that the suffering individual is often the last to acknowledge their addiction, while those around them notice the problems much earlier.

“The behaviour of an addicted person changes – they begin to devote more time to the object of their addiction, neglecting other important matters such as work, studies, or hobbies, and ignoring the damage their behaviour causes to their health and relationships. A key sign of addiction is the inability to control one’s behaviour. Personal motivation is crucial in treating addictions – it involves acknowledging one’s addiction and the desire to recover. The peculiarity of addiction is that the patient always carries part of the responsibility for their recovery. Compulsory treatment is often ineffective. The treatment process does not merely involve abstaining from the addictive substance or activity; the person must learn to live without using psychoactive substances or engaging in gambling. Remember, addiction often overwhelms a significant part of one’s life, so relearning how to live differently is a serious challenge. I would briefly describe the essence of treatment as learning to observe what you feel, how you think, and what you do, and learning to analyse those experiences that were previously numbed by drugs or other addictions,” says the medical psychologist.

Meanwhile, Mieliauskaitė highlights another pressing issue – the fact that some long-term rehabilitation programmes in Lithuania are paid, which limits the opportunities to even start the recovery process. “If the addiction is very advanced, it means the person has not been working for several years, hence they have no savings or relatives who could help, as these have turned away due to the consequences of the addiction,” Mieliauskaitė explains.

The VMU researcher also recalls a recent visit to a rehabilitation clinic in neighbouring Poland. According to her, in this country, rehabilitation for addicted individuals is not only funded by the state but also special attention is given to the treatment of young people’s addictions.

“Firstly, in Poland, addicted individuals enter rehabilitation due to the efforts of other services, such as the courts or social services. This creates a choice for young individuals: either face legal consequences or enter a rehabilitation programme. Additionally, one of the incentives for choosing rehabilitation is being told that your addiction poses a threat to your loved ones,” states the doctoral student, who spent two months at a rehabilitation centre in the neighbouring country, gaining experience.

Loved ones can help, but it’s important not to take on too much burden

According to Mieliauskaitė, the role of loved ones in the treatment of addiction is crucial, but it is equally important for the loved ones themselves not to become dependent on the individual undergoing treatment. She identifies this aspect as co-dependency.

“Often, loved ones prevent the addicted individual from experiencing the consequences of their addiction. As a result, the addicted person may spend years without realising something is wrong. For instance, while a husband continually abuses alcohol, his wife might cover for him by arranging a sick note, among other things. If a person is addicted to gambling, family members frequently pay off his accumulated debts. Ultimately, such behaviour becomes harmful to the loved ones themselves. Although they perceive their actions as love and care, the addicted person only sinks deeper into the mire of addiction,” Mieliauskaitė illustrates.

Dr. Zajančkauskaitė-Staskevičienė also emphasises that loved ones should not take responsibility for the consequences of another person’s behaviour. “Research has proven that the desire to seek help is triggered by feelings of discomfort. This means that loved ones should not prevent the individual from experiencing the natural consequences of addiction, which often include debts, loss of a driving licence, physical withdrawal symptoms, and the like. Loved ones cannot cure the addiction, but they can assist by finding information on available help and encouraging the individual to seek it,” states the VMU psychologist.

Nevertheless, according to Mieliauskaitė, who analyses the reintegration of recovering individuals into society, the best prevention is talking about recovering individuals.

“I remember there was once a trend in schools to show photos of drug addicts – how addiction changes their appearance, how people lose limbs, and so on. However, scare tactics do not work on teenagers. First and foremost, we must acknowledge that addicted individuals exist and live among us. We cannot raise children in a vacuum; they will eventually face reality. Thus, we should simply show young people the world as it is and nurture individuals who are capable of seeing the reality around them and making independent decisions,” Mieliauskaitė advises.