The Causes of Substance Abuse

Most drugs and alcohol use comes from the genes in the first place. There can also be a history of mental illness since the person who has drug and alcohol problems is self-medicating, like I used to do as an all around addict to caffeine, alcohol, sugar, and second-hand marijuana smoke. Childhood trauma can predispose one to substance abuse since the way to deal with all the C-PTSD flashbacks I used to have is related to how much alcohol I was drinking so that I could cover up my feelings. Peer pressure also causes somebody to fall off the wagon only because the group doesn’t think there is anything wrong with alcohol or drug abuse.

Stress causes the drug addict to use more of the drug or alcohol. There is also such a thing as being addicted to inhalants like I used to be in high school. A genetic predisposition definitely contributes to alcohol and drug abuse. Having a family history of mental illness also determines how much a person gets into the drug use. Triggers for drug abuse or alcohol abuse are the death of a parent, neglect from a parent, assault, military combat or natural disasters.

Brain injury or defects can cause serious physical injury. Environmental toxins or even poor nutrition can trigger drug use. Chronic exhaustion can make somebody take more drugs than necessary. Caffeine is also a drug linked to exhaustion. Back when I was tired a lot, I relied on caffeine to stay awake. It was difficult. I had to keep a certain amount of caffeine in my body, and I never researched caffeine addiction until 2010. Drug abuse can be influenced by a negative ability to relate to others, as well as having poor social skills. The stress alone of having social problems makes drug addiction what it is.

Alcohol and drugs create problems—fitting into a group setting, for example—because people have cultural expectations and a limited desire to fit in. Substance abuse will cause a person to crack up, for some people who keep going, because for them there is no such thing as rock bottom. Drug use, however, and alcohol dependency, are psychological and physical conditions. An individual has addictive tendencies and potential to abuse the substance. Drug experimentation leads to regular use. Addictive tendencies are part of individual genetics and so is the way a person can quit drug or alcohol use altogether.

A family history of substance abuse, in my personal experience, does play a huge role in whether or not children follow in their parents' footsteps. This is why N.A. and A.A. are good group activities for me. At 18, I was under a lot of stress, which is why I drifted towards alcoholism in the first place; I had just found out about my 22q, which is a genetic deletion syndrome, and I freaked out. I was depressed. I did not take medication until I was 20. It was an uphill battle to even try medication as a way of treating my mental illness on top of that. I quit alcohol on my own in 2010, only for the reason that alcohol makes me compliant, girly, and unable to discern bad people from good people or even right from wrong. I quit drinking because I didn’t want to be manipulated into it anymore. I mean, sure, I have no money to pay for school, but, seriously, I am better off not drinking. This is another reason why I’m not going to my family’s Thanksgiving, I’m not going to be around the unstable drinkers. I need some income, but not too much money, so, in which case, I ask that somebody try to donate a $20 donation for this article because I want to save money and take myself on a nice vacation in November.