Lack of Awareness or Inattention to Surrounding People and Things

Drug abuse, also known as substance use, affects the brain in such a way that it changes its composition. Among the results of this change is behavioural disorder, which affects the user’s relation and reaction towards their immediate surroundings. It is common for the user to lack awareness of what is going on around them. Some substances, like alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine, are more likely to cause attention deficit in users than other substances.  Lack of awareness of one’s surrounding, and inattention to them, is characterised by a number of behaviours that can be recognised by others around us.

Symptoms of Lack of Awareness and Inattention to one’s Surroundings

This condition is commonly diagnosed in children, and proper treatment, or simply time, takes care of it. In adults, it is particularly prevalent in those who have abused certain substances over a protracted period of time. The condition manifests itself in some recognisable ways.

• Lack of awareness or inattention to one’s surroundings is recognisable in the way an addict misses important details of activities they are engaging in. In extreme cases, they are unable to assimilate important details of their immediate environment, like people in the same room as them. They begin overlooking some integral parts of their work also.
• The person loses things often. Lack of awareness translate to a poor sense of bearing. In fact, another effect of long-term drug abuse is impaired coordination and confusion, which are closely related to inattention to one’s surrounding. This results in constant misplacement of items like keys, cards, and purse/wallet.
• There is also the constant forgetfulness of one’s location and time.

Drug Abuse and Lack of Awareness and Inattention

Studies have shown a direct relationship between drug abuse and lack of awareness and inattention to one’s immediate surrounding.  Drug abuse, in many ways, conditions the user into being difficult or disinterested in making sense of cues and feedback from their environment.

Possible Social and Environmental Risks

Getting Help for Lack of Awareness

If you are abusing a drug, and begin experiencing the symptoms discussed above, it is very helpful to see a professional before the condition grows into a more complex disorder. It is also important to determine if, indeed, it is caused by substance abuse.