Poverty, drugs, and depression are an unholy chorus that often go together. As a gold miner recognizes that quartz hints at a gold deposit, mental health professionals recognize that where there’s one of these four, the others may follow. Contrariwise, the more of these components we recognize and fix, the more we reduce the chances of the others.
Depression
Let’s start with depression because it’s the phantom menace that lurks in the background of many compulsions and addictions. Depression has many causes, sometimes due to trauma, sometimes due to continued use of negative coping methods, and sometimes due to chemical imbalances in the brain. Depression often inhibits one’s feeling of worth, and it can often sneak up on a person making them think that they’re just broken and inherently unworthy of getting better. This can be a big problem as it often causes people to not know they need to seek help, or avoid pursuing solutions.
Poverty
Of course not everyone who does drugs, has depression, or suffers from/inflicts violence is in poverty. All too often we learn of wealthy people who die from drug overdoses. But wealthy people who have depression often overextend their finances on manic binges, and often find themselves removed from their wealth but still suffering from their addictions. Poorer people often suffer from a lack of hope that their situation can be resolved which causes depression, and will often cause us to self-medicate. Poverty is one of the main causes of depression.
Drugs
Drugs, alcohol, and compulsions such as gambling are often pursued a form of self-medication, a way to get a quick fix and try to not think about a problem which will still be there the next day, but maybe will have grown. Sometimes when a person feels like they’re drowning in debt, deeply scared, or feel like there’s just no hope, they may turn to substances for a short-term relief. Unfortunately these substances come with a price—both a literal price which will hurt one’s finances—but also the price of dependency. As a person builds chemical dependency on these drugs, they become harder and harder to extract oneself from, perpetuating the cycle.
Violence
The final voice in our chorus is violence. There are many types of violence and these include harming oneself, harming others, and being harmed by others. Many people suffer depression or substance abuse problems because of violence inflicted on them or guilt from violence they inflicted on others. And people in poverty often suffer from some of the most extreme forms of violence.
Intervention
If you find yourself caught in the cycle of depression, poverty, drugs, and violence, it can be really hard to escape. It seems impossible, but it’s not. Some of your problems may be or seem out of your control, so we recommend you first tackle what is in your control and the more you are able to improve that, the more the others will become hangable. For many people, fighting their addictions is a step that can make the most impact. To learn more about alcohol treatment centers in Florida, call us at (866) 653-6220.
