Theare several factors involved in the causes of drug addiction, and here are the common ones:
- 1.Genetics
It is believed that addictions such as alcoholism and drug addiction may be inherited.
Individuals from families with a history of alcoholism and drug addiction are more likely to develop the disease themselves.
If your parents have addiction struggles, chances are you are more susceptible to addiction. That’s why drug addiction is more common in some families than in others.
Often times, the addiction gene will skip a generation and show up in one of the grand children.
Also, those who come from families with a history of any kind of addiction are more likely to develop some other form of addiction. For example, someone from an alcoholic family may develop an eating disorder or become a 'packrat' and hoard things.
Even though environmental factors can also have influence, individuals who have been removed from their alcoholic parents and raised by non-addicted individuals still show a higher risk for developing an addiction themselves.
- Certain Personality Types
Aside from the inherited factors, some people have a personality that is more likely to become drug dependent. - Those who want to experiment and see what happens. - Those who are looking to relax and have pleasure. - Those who are impatient and want to feel good quickly. Drugs give us the instant gratification that other things do not. Those who are diagnosed with depression, attention deficit disorder (ADD), or hyperactivity. Maybe there has been some stress, or anxiety in their life.
Some common personality characteristics, such as those with lack of self confidence, or self-esteem may be prone to turning to drugs to fill the void.
- Environmental Cause
Children raised by parents who have drug abuse issues are more likely to view substance abuse or certain behaviors as acceptable, making them more likely to engage in the addiction themselves.
Individuals from countries where use of a certain substance or engagement in an addictive behavior are prohiibited or hard to obtain show a much lower incidence of addiction, pointing to possible environmental factors.
- Abuse
Children who have been sexually, psychologically, emotionally or physically abused are more likely to become addicts. The addiction becomes a coping mechanism, helping the addict to deal with strong negative emotions surrounding the abuse such as feelings of severe low self-esteem, and possible flashbacks.
- Emotional Disorders
Those individuals suffering from emotional disorders such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder or post-traumatic stress (PTSD) disorder will often relate to causes of drug abuse and addictive behaviors, especially amongst those who are misdiagnosed or undiagnosed.
Individuals often use drugs, alcohol, food, exercise, or work as a way to self-medicate and escape the symptoms of their primary disorder.
- Specific Substances can Lead to Causes of Drug Addiction
Certain substances are more addictive than others, and will lead to causes of drug addiction, such as cocaine, heroin, or methamphetamine because of their ability to create dependence after relatively few uses.
- Low Frustration Tolerance
One common factor found amongst addicts of all types is a low frustration tolerance.
Addicts are highly susceptible to the negative effects of stress, often experiencing distress at a relatively low level of frustration. They become easily upset over everyday stress factors, creating a need for escape. They find this escape in their addiction.
- Social Pressure/Peer Pressure
We all need relationships, and sometimes those relationships cause us to give in to something we otherwise would avoid in order to maintain the relationship such as uses of drugs.
Social and Peer pressure is huge and nowhere is this greater than for teens. Kids want to be cool. It begins as a social action, to take the drugs to be a part of the group, to be accepted. It’s not just teenagers, as peer pressure takes so many different forms.
There is social etiquette, for example, to take a drink during a party. You'll hear someone say, "I’m only a social drinker." Some people actually believe that Addiction will help you to be accepted and part of the 'popular' group.
- Access/Availability is another one of the causes of drug addiction
Drugs are everywhere, high school students can tell you this. People sell drugs to the most vulnerable population, children. It’s not just in the stereotypical poor sections of the inner city where drugs are available. Drugs are found in shopping malls, rural schools, private school, on the job in factories, offices and remote job sites.
- Depression/Loneliness
We want to feel good physically and emotionally all the time and sometimes drugs are the substitution for a healthy life experience.
A person in pain wants to numb the pain so they take a drug which numbs the pain and they feel good. One of the causes of drug addiction comes from wanting to escape the pain of the life experience, and for a short while, the drug takes them away and they feel “better.”
- Severe Anxiety
Sometimes people need help coping with life - the problems of everyday life becomes a struggle and simple things become too much to handle.
People who have been clinically diagnosed with anxiety can lead a very good life with medication under the care and observation of a doctor.
But, in the case of drug addiction, it’s about people who need to escape and their drug of choice facilitates that escape.
