Why Do People Use Drugs
Approximately 9.4% of the population used drugs in the past month. An estimated 24.6 million Americans aged 12 or older, 9.4 percent of the people, had used an illicit drug in the past month.
Once you find out that a family member or a close friend is using drugs or drinking dangerously, the typical reaction is anger, confused and scared. To effectively deal with drug-related issues, it is essential to understand why they turn to drugs and alcohol. Some factors make some people likely to start using drugs, and they are called risk factors. Examples of risk factors include;
- Friends or parents that abuse drugs
- drugs are easily accessible
- addiction in the family
- drug use at an early age
- depression
- low formal support among others
It is important to note that people do not start using intending to become dependent. But with continued use of the substance, they become hooked and develop an addiction. Those who eventually become addicts cause a lot of harm to themselves and their families. Some people begin using drugs as an experiment and move to use them more regularly, and it becomes part of their lifestyle. Statistics show that 5% to 10% of people who use drugs for recreation later show signs of dependency.
Here are the five (was 5( top reasons people use drugs;
1) Self-Medicating Untreated Disorders
People who suffer from depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and other mental illness can use drugs to ease suffering. Mental illness can be a considerable burden for some people, and they will try anything to relieve their pain. Drug and alcohol use can temporarily make them feel normal. Mental illness is scary, and instead of going to a doctor, they turn to drugs to solve the problem independently. Research shows that alcohol and marijuana are the most abused drugs.
2) Family Members, Friends & Role Models
For young adults, it is easy to think that drug use can be controlled and handled. They can easily say since my dad has been using it for years and he seems fine, why I shouldn’t try. Someone with a family background who uses drugs has a high chance of becoming dependent than a person with no family history. Genes could play a part as well.
3) Relieve stress
In the modern world, life has become full of strain and stress than ever before. A high-demanding job and family can be a cause of massive amounts of stress. So some people will take drugs as a form of relaxation. To help them calm the storm in their minds. Some drugs also allow the user to become focused, more confident, friendly, and even boost their creativity.
4) To Fit In
It primarily affects teenagers and young adults. When they hang out with their friends, they might want to feel like part of the crew. If others are taking alcohol and using drugs, there are chances that one will feel the pressure and fall into the trap. Peer pressure is a tremendous force that causes people to try something that they would not on their own.
5) Boredom
Boredom is a significant factor in young adults that do not have stresses that come with adulthood. They quickly get bored and are always looking to try new and exciting things. Using drugs is a way to escape their mundane world and have them enter an altered reality. Drug usage is higher among young people. At least 11% of the population aged 16-24 had taken drugs in the last month.