What is affluenza? Is it a disease or just an excuse for bad behavior? The Oxford Dictionary defines affluenza as “a psychological malaise supposedly affecting wealthy young people, symptoms of which include a lack of motivation, feelings of guilt, and a sense of isolation.” It stems from the American dream, that money can buy you happiness. Well, it’s simply not true. The wave of overconsumption is crashing on top of America’s youth and causing more damage than meets the eye. In fact, too much consumption could lead to developing addictive behavioral traits. Here’s why, these individuals tend to perceive they do not owe others anything, instead, others owe them everything. As a result, some privileged young people feel as though they are invincible or in other words, nothing can happen to them. Where are the parents and why aren’t they stopping this? According to the American Humane Association, the leading type of maltreatment for children is parental neglect. With no parental guidance, or lack there of, these young people will never learn the true consequences for their actions.

All of this can cause these young individuals to experiment with drugs and/or substances. With no parental guidance, these individuals could latch on to drugs or substances to help cope with their emotional isolation. This experimental phase could spiral out of control and lead into a more serious addiction. And with no consequence, there’s no stopping the drug and substance abuse.

Drug and substance abuse is no laughing matter. It affects more than just the person abusing it! It’s time to reach out for help when the drug and/or substance abuse is affecting your personal life, work, school, or your relationships with others. If you or a loved one is seeking help, please visit our addiction therapy page to get real, effective help.

Here is a list of some common symptoms of drug abuse and addiction:

• Neglecting normal responsibilities
• Taking risks while under the influence
• Legal trouble
• Problems with relationships
• Higher drug tolerance.
• Using drugs to avoid or relieve withdrawal symptoms.
• Lost control over your drug use.
• Life revolves around drug use.
• You continue to use drugs, despite knowing it’s hurting you.