Addiction can lead to a variety of long and short-term adverse effects on an individual mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. These effects can range from moderate to severe to completely life-changing.
For many individuals who succumb to addiction, drugs and alcohol become an object to lean on, allowing them to feel as though they can function with the challenges of day-to-day life. Additionally, others may begin to abuse drugs as a means to escape their reality and external issues that are causing them turmoil.
So what can be the consequences of negative behaviour:
Decline in mental health
One of the most significant consequences of negative behaviour is its strain on an individual’s mental health. When individuals begin acting out, they will start to make themselves feel isolated from their loved ones and family through their actions; as a result, the individuals will then feel guilty because of their negative behaviour. If allowed, this will become a vicious circle, where an individual acts out negatively and then feel guilty about their behaviour, resulting in them acting negatively.
When individuals begin acting out or continuously displaying negative behaviour, they will naturally isolate themselves from their family, loved ones and peers. Individuals will start to go out of their way to avoid the individual if they constantly show negative behaviour traits.
If an individual is to feel isolated from family and friends, they will very quickly start experiencing mental health issues such as depression. Once individuals begin experiencing depressive traits, the severity of the mental health issue can quickly worsen.
Anxiety is another form of mental health commonly resulting from negative behaviour alongside depression. Individuals will often be very aware of the type of negative behaviour they are expressing but, due to external factors, cannot stop. Due to the individual being aware of what they are doing, they will begin to feel guilty and anxious about how their loved ones will react.
Influential negative behaviour on others
Individuals who begin displaying negative behaviour traits will subsequently negatively influence those around them. The individual loved ones will go one of two ways:
- They will start to express themselves via negative behaviour traits
- They will begin to distance themselves from the individual displaying the negative behaviour
Negative peer pressure
Peer pressure from the individual displaying negative behaviour will often pressure their friends or loved ones to begin acting out to lessen the consequences they are receiving due to their behaviour.
As we have mentioned in this blog, an individual’s mental health decline can cause additional issues such as isolation. The isolation will result from the individual’s negative behaviour, and then loved ones and friends simply do not want to put up with the adverse behaviour.
Criticising others can come as a consequence of displaying negative behaviour. Due to the constant criticism from teachers, family and peers due to their negative behaviour traits, individuals often begin criticising others on the most minor things. This type of consequence of negative behaviour can quickly lead to the individuals losing friends and family, which can lead to an array of mental health issues.
Negative behaviour and the mindset it places you in will leave individuals feeling alone and isolated from loved ones and friends and increase mental health issues. These traits are the initial signs that the individual requires professional help to help them improve their overall mindset towards life and their behavioural characteristics.
One of the leading causes of addiction is when individuals feel alone as if they don’t belong where they are. This mindset will often leave them feeling vulnerable, leading them to dangerous situations such as hanging out with a group of people with the same negative traits.
If you or a loved one has been displaying negative behavoural traits, we would recommend a mental health check up. It never hurts to ensure that your mental health is at an all time high and no professional help is required.
If an individual is displaying extreme signs of negative behaviour, and they have begun isolating themselves or hanging out with a new group of people, it could be a sign that the individuals mental health is severely declining with the added worry that their new group of friends could be pressuring them to endure new experiences such as drinking and drugs.