It’s Stampede season, and while we all deserve to let loose and embrace Calgarian culture, these two weeks can habituate a loss of reality for party go-ers and Stampede revellers, and even hide symptoms of gambling and drinking addictions.
It is already a norm for people to take a day off, up to the entire ten-day period, with plans to attend concerts and events with prices inflating every year. Therefore for some, these next ten days can foster an environment of peer pressure, especially during the ages of 14 to 18, but persists with the same intensity during adulthood, especially in between the ages of 18 to 30. “One more shot!” or “you’re only betting $20?” may sound harmless, but the depth of these phrases are drowned out by Stampede culture.
It’s important to understand the risk factors for addiction and binge drinking, such as: repetitive stress, family history, mental disorders, lack of family support, availability, etc. It is also important to understand these risks as they are heavily involved in Stampede culture. While there are many symptoms that appear exclusive to each addiction, many symptoms may overlap, such as secrecy of such behaviours towards friends and family, prioritizing the addictive substance over work or family and personal isolation.
Because of events like Stampede, where it becomes so easy for one to mask any potential or existing problems associated with serial party-going, we want to educate ourselves on how to avoid the onset of addiction, worsening the condition of existing addictions, and relapse through appropriate intervention.
