Men, Addiction and Intimacy

Basically a substance use disorder is a form of disorder whereby the continuous use of a substance causes a profound deficiency or stress which requires medical attention.

There are various factors which are associated with substance use in people and specifically to men. We can subdivide these factors into neurobiological and psychosocial factors.

What Are These Neurobiological Factors That Are Associated With Substance Use Disorders?

Neurobiology is basically referred as the branch of biology that deals with the anatomy, physiology and pathology of the nervous system. From these basic definition we can define neurobiological factors as those factors that relate to the anatomy, physiology and pathology of the nervous system.

• Genetic factors

Most scholars believe that the inclination to a particular addictive disorder is greatly influenced by the collaboration of various genes. For instance the risk for alcohol addiction is dependent on the same genes that increase the risk for problem gambling.

• Parental gestational trauma

The amount and kind of trauma a mother undergoes during her pregnancy greatly affects the developing foetal brain, since all the neurons we have were developed during the gestation period. Recent studies have shown that the maternal traumatic experiences have a negative impact on the growth and development of a child whether male or female.one study in particular has shown that the level of a mother’s apprehension during pregnancy is proportional to the youngster’s awakening cortisol level at a later age, consequentially affects their susceptibility to these disorders.

• Insufficient affection to the newborn

Most of the mental growth in a newborn occurs in the first few years of life and as expected is greatly influenced by the physical conditions surrounding the child. A boy who has grown in a place where affection is little tends to find a hobby that fills the emotional hole created. In most cases, the hobby is related to use of harmful substances such as marijuana and alcohol.

• Traumatic experiences in childhood

It has been clearly proved that teen victimization in males has affected thousands of lives in their adulthood. The development of alcoholism is acute in men who have had prior exposure to either sexual or mental abuse.

What are these psychosocial factors related to substance use disorder?

Social factors are those factors relating to the social structure and processes that in some way influence a person while Psychological factors tend to deal with mental states of individuals. Psychosocial factors is then defined to be those factors relating to the interaction between an individual and the society at large.

• Gender

It is evident from different cultural backgrounds of the world that women in general are allowed to express their emotional anguish without a problem while in men it is seen has a sign of weakness. Hence men over the years have found the use of substances such as alcohol to be an acceptable way to relieve stress.

• The prevailing economic situations

During economic recession when employment is scarce, the likelihood of a youngster to engage in criminal activities such as the illicit sale of drugs, alcohol and other substances is intensified.

• Physical environment

Male teenagers tend to associate with groups in order to fit in and feel accepted.in group dynamics or in any natural order there exists a stage in which there is some form of initiation passage done for a new member. The passage may include continuous consumption of drugs.

• Religion

In certain religious groups, the use of substances such as alcohol and drugs is considered to be part of the spiritual growth. Although such practices cannot be ruled out as unethical to some level but there is always that possibility of addictive disorders associated with constant intake.

How These Factors Tend To Affect the Development of Healthy Relationships in Men

A male child who grows up in a home where there is little or no affection tends to have a difficult time forming relationships. One reason for such a behavior may be the fear of intimacy as it appears new to him.

When it comes to marriage this lack of affection may work out in two scenarios whereby he might either have a difficult time emotionally bonding with his spouse and children or he might try to compensate for what he lacked through extra attention to his family.

A young man who had been victimized earlier in life tends to have self-esteem issues which can manifest through compulsive behaviors such as bullying others in relationships in an effort to take back power.

The effects of early childhood trauma such as violence between parents negatively influences a man’s response to commitment in a relationship as he becomes afraid of repeating his parents’ mistakes and having to live a horrible life afterwards.

The physical environment in a young man’s life influences his response to both the political and social environments. We can take an example of a case whereby a man in his early years of growth found himself on the wrong side of the law is bound to be rebellious and tends to have little or no respect to the rule of law.

In recent times we have been experiencing a form of cultural erosion to the fundamental networks our ancestors used to practice. The challenges that men have to face in life have tremendously increased with rising causes of suicides due to pressure to provide for his family.

In essence male children vary in the extent to which early attachments influence their future, it may happen that irrespective of the challenges faced by a youngster in his growth he actually manages to live a fulfilling life.

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Neurobiological Factors That Are Associated With Substance Use Disorders?

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