How to Understand Why People Use Drugs

Co-authored by Tiffany Douglass, MA and Christopher M. Osborne, PhD

Last Updated: September 10, 2021 References

In the simplest terms, people use drugs to feel different (and better), and abuse drugs because they need that feeling ever more strongly. Of course, the deeper reasons why people try legal or illegal drugs and become addicted to them are as individual as each user. Usually a mix of environmental factors, personality traits, internal biology, and external pressures feed into drug use. Understanding why people use drugs is the first step towards avoiding addiction and addressing it once it exists.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Understanding Why People Try Drugs

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Recognize that people want a change. People try new things when they want something about their lives to be different. When people turn toward drugs or other addictive substances — which can include alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine, among other things — they focus on the presumed benefits of the changes they may provide, and not the potential harms.^{[1]
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- Some people try drugs because they are seeking to soothe or avoid physical or psychological pain. Others want to experience a sense of “escape” from their lives, for reasons ranging from trauma to boredom. They may use drugs in order to feel unique or “special,” or in order to feel “normal.”
- A UK study conducted at the turn of the new millennium indicated that the top five reasons for drug use included relieving depression and to feel intoxicated. In such cases, people are clearly focusing on the short-term benefits of temporarily changing their perceptions.^{[2]
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2
Consider external pressures. Young people often have their first sip of alcohol, drag of a cigarette, or sexual experience based on the notion that “everyone else is doing it.” This same type of peer pressure is often a major reason why they try using drugs as well.^{[3]
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- People are more likely to try drugs when they are in settings where it is considered commonplace or normal to do so. After all, however independent they may be, everyone on some level wants to “fit in.”
- The UK drug use study mentioned elsewhere also lists "keep awake at night while socializing" and "enhance an activity" among the top five reasons for drug use. Especially among young people, the pressure to be the "life of the party" may factor strongly in the choice to try using drugs.^{[4]
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- People who lack strong support networks — such as family, friends, organized activities, etc. — that discourage drug use tend to be more likely to try drugs.
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3
Examine environmental factors. It cannot be denied that people of all backgrounds and socioeconomic levels try and abuse drugs. For instance, some 50% of young people in the UK age 16-24 have tried illegal drugs.^{[5]
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Research source} That said, factors like poverty, unsettled home environments, and lack of access to educational or employment opportunities or social services can increase the likelihood of drug use by removing apparent alternatives.
- The more reasons someone has to want to “escape,” and the fewer alternatives that are within reach, the more likely he or she is to try legal or illegal drugs. Stressful environments clearly influence drug use, as nearly 97% of respondents in the UK study listed a desire to "relax" as their main reason for using.^{[6]
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- However, an environment that produces a sense of boredom can also feed a desire to experiment or rebel by trying drugs. Plenty of young, well-to-do people try drugs for such reasons, for instance.^{[7]
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Look into personality traits. Each and every one of us is wired differently, and some of us are more predisposed to trying drugs and/or becoming addicted to them. This does not mean we have no say in the matter, though — nobody must use drugs. It is simply easier for some people to get started than others.^{[8]
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- People who are more impulsive or prone to take risks are more likely to try drugs (or go hang-gliding, for that matter). Those of a more cautious or pensive nature are less likely, but of course not immune.
- People with low self-esteem, high stress, or signs of depression are also more susceptible to drug use.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Understanding Why People Abuse Drugs

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Don’t judge too harshly. Odds are, you are addicted to something — texting, chocolate, internet gambling, whatever it may be. How easy would it be for you to stop? Drug addiction is not simply a case of a lack of willpower or low moral fiber. A whole range of chemical and psychological processes take place that can make getting hooked much easier than getting free.^{[9]
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National Institute on Drug Abuse
Agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services devoted to researching drug and drug abuse and educating the public
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- No, you don’t have to give someone a “free pass” for being addicted to drugs. At some point, they made a choice and could have done otherwise. However, the better you understand the nature of addiction and the difficulty in breaking the cycle, the better prepared you will be to prevent and/or help deal with drug abuse.
- Becoming addicted is a process, and so is ending addiction.^{[10]
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  Tiffany Douglass, MA
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  Expert Interview. 10 March 2020.}
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Learn about biopsychosocial forces. The "biopsychosocial model" has been around for nearly forty years, and, as the long name indicates, deals with the range of biological, psychological, and social factors that combine to influence health and illness.^{[11]
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PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Go to source} The model also applies to drug abuse, as any one of these three factors can fuel addiction, while the combination of them can be especially difficult to overcome.^{[12]
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- Some people are more biologically disposed toward drug addiction, based on how the drug affects their bodies. No two people will experience a drug in the exact same way, and some will respond more strongly to the blocking or activating of neurotransmitter receptors (see the step below for more on this topic). This process can trigger a stronger need for more of the drug.
- Many of the same psychological profiles — impulsiveness, lack of confidence, depressive tendencies, etc. — that can make people more likely to use drugs can also make them more likely to become addicted. People with difficulties in analyzing costs versus benefits are also more prone to addiction, as they cannot as effectively weigh the pros and cons.
- The social / environmental factors that support trying drugs, such as peer pressure, lack of opportunity, or lack of adequate support networks, also increase the likelihood of addiction.
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Study the neurobiology of addiction. All drugs (and addictive substances in general) affect the signals sent from and received by the brain; the unique properties of each drug varies the impact. Addiction is, in a sense, a process of “fooling” the brain and, over time, “teaching” it to need ever more of the substance. This is a major reason why stopping drug abuse is not simply a matter of motivation.^{[13]
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Trustworthy Source
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services devoted to researching drug and drug abuse and educating the public
Go to source}
- Marijuana and heroin, for example, have structures similar to neurotransmitters, the “chemical messengers” that carry signals between the brain and the rest of the body. As such, they can trick both receptors in the brain and nerve centers in the body, creating responses to conditions that do not actually exist.
- Meanwhile, drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine trigger a release of neurotransmitters, especially dopamine, which overstimulate regions of the brain responsible for movement, emotion, motivation, and feelings of pleasure. The sense of euphoria that comes from this overstimulation of the brain’s “reward system” can become a self-reinforcing pattern, where the brain needs ever more of the stimulation to recreate the euphoric response.
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View addiction as a chronic brain disease. Some people reject the notion of drug addiction as a disease, because they feel it absolves any guilt on the part of the person with the condition. However, a whole host of diseases are impacted at least in part by our choices, and drug abuse is no different. And, like many other diseases, it can be managed.^{[14]
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Trustworthy Source
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services devoted to researching drug and drug abuse and educating the public
Go to source}
- Drug addiction can be categorized as a chronic brain disease because it turns something that was once voluntary into something essentially involuntary. Addiction begins with a choice, but that choice is, for all intents and purposes, removed from the equation. That’s why wanting to stop is not enough on its own to break the grip of addiction.
- Diseases like diabetes or asthma, to name but a couple of examples, can often be effectively managed with the right combination of treatments, support, and desire. The same is true with drug addiction. Help is available to those who need it and want it.
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Consider the spiritual aspect of drug addiction. Drugs and alcohol mimic the essential need for a relationship with the Creator through a ”pseudospiritual” sense of connection and transcendence, and a false sense of “good” that in actuality leads to greater dissatisfaction, emptiness, despair and eventually death. Intimacy with G-d is the way to fill the existential loneliness felt by the addict, then followed with healthy relationships with the self and others. Although taking care of the body is important, the solution for addiction is primarily on the spiritual and altruistic plane. Self-centeredness is what fuels most problems and without a profound character change or spiritual awakening, the addict will continue to use drugs and alcohol in spite of all consequences, sincere desires to stop, or obvious necessity. They will often suffer a delusional belief or “insanity” that they can handle it “this time.”
- One major problem the addict faces is he is overwhelmed with the thought that there is nothing to live for without the drugs, and he often can’t yet conceive of a life of happiness. So there is no way to fully replace and satisfy the sense of loss when the substances are removed without some meaningful form of pleasure that exceeds the quality of the pleasure experienced while under the influence. Spiritual pleasure through the transformation of character provides this unique “connection” sought which can correct the pursuit of all unhealthy pleasures.

Warnings

If you do choose to do drugs for any reason, understand the risks involved. You may not notice damage from drugs immediately, but some substances will have long term effects that could seriously harm your life.

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Remember to do the research. Some drugs are more harmful than others, and many have hidden health risks. Seek out unbiased, balanced information.

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In the end, the choice to try using a drug or not is yours. Just because others do it does not make it right for you.

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