Causes of Substance Abuse

There are numerous causes of substance abuse. One of these is the most basic human instinct, pleasure. In every one of us there is an innate restlessness in the pursuit of something better, more perfect, more complete. Some people feel it as a desire for material things - bigger house, car, more possessions. For others, the desire is for “softer” experiences such as love, affection, understanding, or for spiritual revelation.

This restlessness is fed by the hope of what may be just beyond our grasp, just around the corner. When hope dies, depression is never far away. The spirit is crushed, energy melts, and life seems to have no purpose beyond existing for the day.

When people lose hope, substance abuse becomes a great risk. When people cannot find rewarding work and feel their existence is meaningless, a substance or liquid combat reality becomes very attractive. That is why it is no surprise to find the highest levels of substance abuse among some of the poorest and most marginalized in our society. Time and again surveys show convincingly that good education and career prospects together with happy personal circumstances are protective against substance abuse.

What causes substance abuse is often something far deeper than just general feelings of being down on your luck. When a community shows high levels of abuse, it indicates a sickness at the very heart of daily household life. It is far too easy to focus on simplistic anti-drug campaigns while ignoring the underlying factors that make widespread substance abuse almost inevitable, particularly among the young.

The human brain is wired for positive living, with well-developed pleasure centres. Using the latest imaging technology you can watch someone’s brain activity change as he or she feels happy or sad. So what happens when we use plant extracts and other substances to activate these pleasure centres? Is psychological dependency inevitable?

Drugs are artificial pleasure inducers. The greatest seductive power of a drug lies not in its ability to create physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms, but in hyperstimulating the pleasure centre. There are many psychoactive substances. The causes of substance abuse can also be attributed to the fact that some drugs are so pleasurable that users much prefer to be intoxicated than sober. Other causes of substance abuse stem from the fact that once an individual has had a fleeting experience of unimaginable pleasure, they are almost certain to want more. They look to repeat the experience until some unpleasant problem emerges or the pleasure effect fades.

There are those known as sensation-seekers. They can be clearly identified as a group of people for whom new experiences are particularly important. Sensation seeking has become part of the culture as an end in itself, along with self-development and self-realisation. Bungee jumps, sky-diving, white water rafting, hang-gliding - all these new fads are billed as “the ultimate adrenaline rush”. Extreme excitement (which usually contains an element of danger) can itself become addictive. Drug-taking then becomes just another sensation area to explore.

Below is a short list with a few causes of substance abuse:

• Just curious
• Sense of adventure
• Enjoyment
• Belief that the drug helps physical or mental performance
• Belief that the drugs is harmless
• Belief that the drug will help depression
• To cope with trauma e.g. child sex abuse, school failure, or relationship problems
• Sensation seeking
• Drug use by other family members
• Peer pressure - influenced by peer selection. For example, most youths who smoke tobacco are making conscious decisions to be with a peer group dominated by smokers.
• Rebellion against authority / parents
• Positive images in the media
• Access, availability and relatively low cost