What Do Anger Issues Have to Do with Addiction?
A research study published by the Journal of Education and Health Promotion (JEHP) in 2019 showed that among 373 college medical students in Iran, personality changes were noted, particularly anger when addressing addiction to substances. This may range from mild irritation to a high level of rage and fury. The study points out that there are two ways to understand rage and anger: state anger is specific to a certain time and event, while trait anger occurs over a wide range of random situations. Most people handled random situations well enough, but those with addiction issues tended to become irritated, rising their reaction level to rage and anger unnecessarily.
Of importance is noting that psycho-behavioral factors and the environment surrounding these students with addictions, means that stress, fear, and other emotions are expressed rapidly and at higher volumes. Many will also try to reduce this anger by turning to substances (drugs, alcohol) especially when they cannot healthily express their emotions, leading to a vicious cycle.
Severe anger is also evident in those with a lower quality of life that goes along with high-risk behaviors and indulging in substances. For the students in Iran, which is next to Afghanistan and Pakistan with differing cultural identities, being far away from home, maybe difficult to handle.
New students coming in to begin college and dealing with all the pressures college puts on students, face potential risk in engaging in substance abuse and addiction.
This could also be said about American students away from home for the first without parental guidance, who tend to also engage in alcohol abuse, according to other research studies. In this case, peer pressure is more likely caused when you choose a group of friends who encourage you to drink when you do not need to.
When Anger Escalates to Violence
If you are around someone who becomes violent, try to appease them first by being non-threatening. Try to calm the person down by making statements about knowing how they feel about whatever issue they have. Keep space between the two of you and avoid reacting to the anger. Keep an eye on what is around you that could be used against you and know your escape route in case you need it.
Evaluate whether you are getting through to the person who is upset or if he/she is not paying attention to you at all. If a very angry person starts heading towards you, leave the premises and call the police for help. However, if there are children and pets in your house (if that is your location), you must try to protect them. When someone abuses both alcohol and drugs together, their behavior can be very unpredictable when they lose control and are very angry.
While a violent person may end up in jail for the night or several days, this will not solve your immediate problem. This person needs medical help and supervision, and you should advise the police of this. You may need to call a treatment center and ask if you can enter the person there (if it is a relative or spouse) for immediate treatment. Make sure the treatment center knows the whole story and that you can tell them what substance(s) the person uses.
It is time to decide on whether you will keep this person in your life if he/she is a spouse or relative. Living on the edge with someone who is potentially unstable, will do nothing for your well-being and quality of life. They must have treatment, or nothing will change. The situation will only get worse. It is well-known that children who experience anger and violence around them, and worse, done to them, will grow up to be abusers with many of the same issues your spouse had.
When Children Become Substance Abusers
Always monitor your children as they grow up during their childhood and into the teenage years. Get to know their friends and their parents as well. Know exactly where and with whom they are always with, when out of the house.
Explain the dangers of drugs and alcohol and point out that sex trafficking is a big problem in our society today. Children get abducted and then taken somewhere to be sold, never to be seen again. You must set boundaries early on to keep them safe.
While we commonly think drugs and alcohol are the only substances around, glue-sniffing is still a problem for children in middle school and high school. It is easy to get and looks harmless, but if your child starts sniffing glue, the outcomes are much the same as addiction to any other substance. Your child’s personality changes and they become more irritable. They will need to get Substance Abuse treatment to stop this behavior.
When You Need to Get Help Fast
Pacific Bay Recovery can help you with any substance addiction and/or mental issues you might have so you can regain a happy and functional lifestyle again. Call us for a free consultation and to set up an appointment to start getting help as soon as possible. 619-350-8220.
