A person with a disability, whatever it might be, may be prone to addiction, especially if the occurrence of that disability is relatively recent and the person has not yet come to terms with it. Being disabled can result in numerous emotions, such as anger, fear, and frustration.
A person may just “give up” and turn to addiction, whatever the addictive behavior(s) might be, as a method of coping with the unpleasant emotions. Dealing with any change, such as a sudden disability, can be very difficult to do. A drastic change forces us to step outside the box, outside of our comfort zone, and away from a lifestyle that is comfortable and familiar.
The difficulty we have addressing the change and the emotions associated with it, is what can result in addiction, and is why we need to take steps to prevent this from occurring. Although we may turn to some substance in order to continue coping, the emotions themselves can be addictive.
That is why it might be necessary to attend groups such as Emotions Anonymous, or a similar type activity, to address the underlying issues, instead of what is superficial and most obvious.
We need to address the motivation that leads us to perform the addictive behavior, whatever it may be. Although addictive behaviors may cause physiological changes, we must search for and address the root cause(s) of the addictive behaviors, the underlying issues.