Of course we all know that substance abuse creates serious health risks, can tear apart families and costs people their livelihood. But there are lesser known ripple effects that are certainly worth considering, particularly when you think about social media and the digital age. Regretful public faux pas are easily be made now, which can do serious damage to a person’s reputation.
What we are talking about relates back to the common practice of “drunk dialing” or “texting while high.” Yes, when you are inebriated common sense tends to fall by the wayside. Typically some of the actions above can end up forgotten (though still embarrassing). But if those statements now land on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, the repercussions can be much greater.
Social media posts are public and can have a much longer lifespan, even after you delete them. Worst of all, inappropriate messages within your network could get back to a spouse, a boss or a family member. And let it be know that this becoming a legitimate issue that is affecting people worldwide.
According to recent study from the site Substance Abuse, more that half of the participants admitted to posting a regrettable comments on social media while high. This can include inappropriate statements about a person or perhaps a compromising photograph that led to a damaged relationship.
NYU School of Medicine professor Joseph Palamar led the study and emphasized the growing problem this has become.
“Risky social media posts, including those showing people high on drugs, have the potential to cause embarrassment, stress, and conflict for users and those in their social networks,” he explained. “It can also have adverse implications for one’s career, since the majority of employers now use social media platforms to screen job candidates and may search for evidence of substance use. In fact, at least one in five people experienced regret after engaging in these behaviors while high, suggesting that some situations may have resulted in socially harmful or embarrassing scenarios.”
They study actually went even further than that, illustrating which types of substances led to these actions. Per Palamar’s research, marijuana was the drug involved with the most regrettable social media posts, followed by cocaine.
If anything, this certainly shines a light on the extended damage having a drug or alcohol problem can cause. If this type of behavior has been a regular occurrence for you or someone you are close to, perhaps an extra evaluation is needed.
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