There are many reasons people seek out the use of drugs. Environment plays a part in what drugs we consume and our attitudes towards those substances. Drug abuse comes into play when addictive behaviors and irresponsible substance consumption combine.
Influences on drug use are many. Typically, drug users are after a specific feeling or result. Some people use drugs to escape daily pressures, and others to enhance their performance, fit in with peers, or reach a heightened spiritual state.
- What are different types of drug influence?
- What are different theories on the impact of peers in drug use?
- What are protective factors?
Influence on Drug Use: Examples
Several influences lead people to drug use. Some psychoactive drugs are socially acceptable, like caffeine. Most people rely on coffee or caffeinated drinks to help them wake up and start their day, and some over-consume these beverages to meet the demands of their daily schedules. However, some drugs are not accepted in society and can have a more detrimental impact on someone's wellbeing. Lots of drugs lead to drug abuse behaviors and addiction and cause people to lose loved ones, jobs, and stability in their lives.
Coffee, pixaby.com
While some substance addictions like caffeine or nicotine can be broken through over-the-counter methods or 'determination', most drug addictions require various treatments to break. Treatments often include rehabilitation stays, long-term therapy and sobriety groups, lifestyle changes, and sometimes even medical interventions and medications.
Biological Influences on Drug Use
There are many biological influences on drug use and misuse. The purpose of psychoactive drugs is to produce a psychoactive effect on the brain. This effect results from the drugs altering our brain chemistry and creating mood or sensory altering experiences. Drugs can do this by interfering with how the brain's neurotransmitters operate. Typically for drugs with a higher rate of abuse, it is found that this interference with the neurotransmitters causes the increased release of a hormone called dopamine.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter/hormone that shows up in the brain in areas of emotion, cognition, motivation, and feelings of pleasure.
The presence of dopamine is a large biological factor in the development of drug abuse issues and addiction. Some people are more prone to a stronger reaction to these neurotransmitters and can become dependent on the release of dopamine the drugs provide. This puts some people at a higher biological risk for addiction.
Family Influence on Drug Use
Family is also a significant influencing factor in drug use and misuse. This is mainly the focus of social learning theory.
The social learning theory is the theory that explains drug use as a learned behavior.
The idea behind this theory is primarily that people learn drug use behavior from other drug users, usually from a primary social group like family, peers, or significant others. Primary social group influence is strong because it normalizes the behavior, and in a practical sense, it can provide someone access to the drug. Often teens who have grown up with parents who over-consume alcohol accept this behavior as standard, which can build patterns of learned family behavior.
Researchers have found that negative family dynamics can play a significant role in the potential for developing drug use behaviors. For example, children of divorced or separated parents are at a higher risk for developing substance abuse and addictive behaviors than their peers from stable homes.
Peer Pressure on Use of Drug
While family and other primary groups strongly influence one's potential to develop addiction or drug abuse behaviors, our peers are the most influential group. This is due to the power of differential reinforcement.
Differential reinforcement is the ratio of favorable and unfavorable reinforcements for drug use behavior.
Peer groups that use drugs provide a high level of favorable reinforcement to encourage a particular kind of drug use in others. This includes things like:
The general preference for one kind of drug within a particular group of friends, subgroup, or community.
The age of initial drug use (Adolescence, teen, young adult, adult).
The frequency of use and access to various drugs.
While teenagers can be more susceptible than adults, people of all ages can be subdued to drug use. Life circumstances, such as grief, debt, and marital stress, overwhelm adults. This can lead to an unfavorable ratio of substance use reinforcements.
Labeling Theory
In addition to differential reinforcement, the labeling theory also seeks to explain the potential influence peer groups have on drug use and misuse. This theory suggests that the perceptions of others influence how we see ourselves. This can explain how some people begin to see themselves as socially deviant and reinforce that image with drug use behavior.
Subculture theory
Friends Smoking, pixaby.com
The subculture theory focuses on the direct peer-pressure influence of initial drug use. This theory essentially explains drug use as a peer group initiated activity. Comments such as "A little won't hurt," "You can trust us," and "Look, we are all ok" are all examples of the subculture theory in action.
Structural Influence Theory
The structural influence theory focuses on the organization of society as an influence on drug use. This theory explores how societal disorganization impacts deviant behavior within groups. Rapid social change is one explanation for the disorganization and the inability to meet sought-after goals. One example of this is genuinely working hard and still being unable to meet financial demands. This type of societal disorganization and disenfranchisement puts groups at a higher risk for drug use and addiction.
According to a study done by the National Center on Addiction and Substance abuse at Columbia University, teenagers who regularly use popular social media sites were:
- 5x more likely to purchase cigarettes
- 3x more likely to drink underage
- 2x more likely to use marijuana
Many of the theories that apply to peer pressure's effect on influencing drug use also apply to social media and other forms of popular media.
Drug Use Protective Factors
While we know what some potential influences are on the use of drugs, there are also protective factors. They reduce the potential for substance use within primary social groups. Protective factors for teenagers/ youth include:
Strong family relationships
Parental supervision of children and teens as well as their peers
Enforced rules of conduct within a family
Involved parents
Successful school performance
Strong social connections
Adoption of conventional norms on substance use
Influences on Drug use - Key takeaways
- The presence of dopamine is a large biological factor in the development of drug abuse issues and addiction.
- The social learning theory explains drug use as a learned behavior.
- Differential reinforcement is the ratio of favorable and unfavorable reinforcements for drug use behavior.
- The labeling theory is the theory that the perceptions of others influence how we see our self-image.
- The subculture theory focuses on the direct peer-pressure influence of initial drug use. This theory essentially explains drug use as a peer group initiated activity.
- The structural influence theory explores how societal disorganization impacts deviant behavior within groups.
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