Today the drug situation in the world is very difficult to change, but it is necessary to form the right attitude towards it. Many believe the reason is drug availability. This approach to the problem removes responsibility from the addict and his activities. In fact, the cause of drug addiction should be sought in the psychological characteristics of human behavior, his mental development and deviations. This is what the psychology of drug addiction is actively pursuing.
The main reason for using drugs is to achieve euphoria. This means that a person not only wants to achieve pleasure and cheer himself up, but wants to get away from real life, change his consciousness. The desire for euphoria is the need for a change in lifestyle, an escape from the surrounding problems. In this case, drugs can be called a case in which the addict tries to hide, forgetting for a while about the difficult situation.
Physical and mental addiction
Among drug addicts, there is an equal number of socially developed and non-developed personalities. Successful people, prisoners, university students, and children from disadvantaged families are equally affected by drug addiction. Some can afford the dose, while others have to commit a crime for it, but the effect of the drug has the same effect on any person.
It is incorrect to assume that there is no likelihood of drug addiction in wealthy families. Psychology of drug addiction shows that at first glance, a person's positive adaptation to social conditions of existence, an adequate solution to problems is achieved by erasing individuality, rejecting his own “I”. As a result, this translates into a need to escape from reality, to satisfy one's inferiority. The transformation of a person into a drug addict is not an accident, but the result of his psychological dissatisfaction.
There are two types of mental drug addiction. The first includes psychological reasons. That is, the specific motives that the person was guided by and what prompted him to this way of solving problems.
The second type is a clinical phenomenon. It is characterized by the attitude of the addict himself stating that there is no life without drugs.
Physical dependence is a consequence of long-term drug use. Narcotic drugs become necessary for the life of the addict's body. If the drug stops entering the body, then withdrawal, nervous tension, depression, insomnia, irritability, etc. begin.
Psychological causes of drug addiction
Drug use can be explained from different angles: financial, social, pedagogical, medical. But they all show only the visible reasons for the onset of drug addiction. From the point of view of psychology, drug addiction is a person's attempt to resolve their internal conflicts. That is, the essence of the problem must be sought primarily in the soul of a person.
At first glance, it may seem that if a person stops using drugs, then the problem will be solved. It's not like that at all. Initially, you need to work with the addict's self-esteem, his ability to enjoy life, evaluate his actions and think over their consequences, his ability to get along with society, play according to the rules of society.
A person has only one life. Very often he stands at a crossroads, faces problems. Only the person himself can decide which way to go. But many people often need help. Therefore, you should be attentive and caring in relation to your loved ones and relatives, so as not to let such trouble into your family as
The psychology and characteristics of the character and behavior of an addict, regardless of the specific type of psychoactive substance, consists of certain points. On the one hand, these are premorbid traits, that is, those personality traits that a person initially had and, in fact, led to the development of addiction, and on the other hand, this is a transformation of character traits, that is, the occurrence of certain changes under the influence of the disease.
Psychology of drug addiction
It is well known in the professional environment that dependent behavior, in particular drug addiction, develops only in a certain category of persons. This is the so-called psychological premorbid background. It is characterized by certain deviations in the psyche, which is manifested by complexes, insecurity, psychological problems, behavior that is contrary to generally accepted norms. Moreover, all these features are virtually the same for all drug addicts.
If we try to characterize drug addicts, then these are people with pronounced selfish character traits, overly touchy and at the same time vulnerable, but not because of the subtle mental organization, but because of infantilism. Infantilism makes them unable to cope with difficult life situations, solve problems or make important decisions. They cannot accept themselves as they are, and any external circumstances most often lead to low self-esteem, which at the very beginning becomes the main reason for taking psychoactive substances. After alcohol or drugs, self-esteem rises sharply, internal psychological barriers are removed, and a person seems to himself self-confident, impeccable and omnipotent, the way he wants to see himself.
Often, a future drug addict is confident in his uniqueness and at the same time he considers himself incomprehensible, unnecessary. Often, before starting to use drugs or alcohol, a person may be in a state of subdepression and apathy for a long time. In this state, he is especially dependent on others. He seeks support, understanding and help. If relatives ignore these implicit signs, if they simply do not pay attention, then there is a very high probability that he will be able to find support among drug addicts. At the beginning of drug addiction, a person realizes that he has many "like-minded people" with similar problems, and outlook on life - among those with whom he takes drugs.
Another attraction for a novice drug addict is that there is no social hierarchy among drug addicts, which is accepted in ordinary society. Before the dose, everyone is equal. At the same time, there are no social obligations, rules, duties among drug addicts. Only those who are directly related to the drug intake, for example, the one who got the drug on the company has the right to receive the first priority - as a getter. Otherwise, a drug addict with low self-esteem is in the midst of impaired individuals, where the main problem is finding the desired drug, and in such conditions he is as comfortable as possible and there is no need to strive for anything. The most important thing is the dose of the drug, those pleasant feelings and emotions that are caused by the next intake of the substance and the most simple acquisition of imaginary peace and prosperity for a very short time.
Psychology of personality change in drug addiction
For a person, a drug becomes not just the simplest way of self-realization and achievement of inner well-being - it, in fact, becomes the only opportunity, since the addict simply cannot express himself in anything else. The drug helps to "solve" any problems and the addict does not notice only one thing, which is visible to everyone around him, that the drug itself is the source of almost all disasters in the life of an addicted person. The social ties of the addict are abruptly cut off and only those who are of direct interest in obtaining the drug or funds for its purchase, as well as other addicts, the degree of trust in which is extremely high, remain in his life.
Gradually, out of pleasure, the drug becomes a part of the addict's life, and the largest and most important part of it. A drug addict can feel normal, live, perform daily activities only in a state of drug intoxication. The absence of the drug leads to the development of withdrawal symptoms, for most drugs, physical, although some drugs cause only mental dependence. Withdrawal is manifested so pronounced deterioration of health that it can lead to critical health conditions, and for the sake of receiving a new dose, to ease the state of health, the addict will easily commit any crime, can literally “sell the mother for a dose”.
It is for this reason that it is important to understand that it is simply impossible to trust a drug addict due to the fact that he does not belong to himself, and the whole meaning of his life is exclusively in the drug. Indulgence, as well as excessive pressure - all this alienates the addict from the hypothetical possibility of recovery. Only the help of a narcologist and a team of related specialists can ensure a truly victory over the disease.
In the writing of the personality of a drug addict, you saw the characteristic features of your relative, a person dear to you - understand that the likelihood of addiction in this case is high. In order to truly objectively assess the situation, it is necessary to turn to narcologists. Do not be alone with the problem, as you will not solve anything. The specialists of the NarMed clinic will help not only to establish a diagnosis, but also develop an individual treatment program, starting from detoxification and ending with rehabilitation. Yes, this is a long and difficult process, but there is simply no other way. The cure cannot be simple or quick.
The experience of our narcologists' practice points to the mark of over 94% when it comes to successfully getting rid of drug addiction. The consultative, urgent and stationary service of the center works around the clock, and the rehabilitation direction - seven days a week and seven days a week. Our help is just a call or an application on the site.
Addiction
Addiction is a long-term enjoyment of death.
Francois Mauriac
The euphorizing effect of drugs is largely due to compensatory mechanisms that neutralize their harmful effects on the brain. The attitude towards obtaining pleasure and the conditioned reflex influence of the familiar environment and environment also matter. If the addict takes, for example, heroin at an unfamiliar time and in a new place, when the conditioned stimuli that cause a compensatory effect are absent, the usual dose can have an unprecedentedly strong effect and even lead to death. Once in a hospital or pre-trial detention center, the addict finds that within a couple of weeks he can do without drugs without much difficulty. However, once in his usual environment, he resumes taking surfactants. It is known that of the Vietnamese veterans who were addicted to drugs during the war, only 7% returned to their use at home. Therefore, to get rid of drug addiction, it is necessary to change the environment as much as possible.
More than half of drug addicts come from incomplete or broken families, in which their parents suffered from alcoholism, psychopathy, depression. Often the absence of other children in the family, conflicts between parents, an overly caring or, on the contrary, an overbearing mother contribute to the emergence of drug addiction. V.D. Mendelevich (2001) describes the type of “narcogenic” father, which is characterized by: increased exactingness towards himself and his environment (in particular, towards his wife and child), workaholism, unwillingness to take into account the individual, age characteristics of the child and the peculiarities of the situation. He is also distinguished by emotional coldness combined with cruelty, a tendency to compete, hyperactivity and sociability, often of a superficial nature and not accompanied by a desire to understand and emotionally accept the interlocutor. The father or other relatives of a drug addict are often characterized by addictive behavior, which manifests itself in the form of workaholism, overvalued hobbies (in particular, addiction to health improvement), alcohol dependence, gambling, religious fanaticism, etc. This allows us to speak of a family addictive scenario.
In the formation of adolescent drug addiction, an important role is played by the adolescent's mental immaturity, which is expressed in low self-criticism, resentment, vulnerability, inability to independently make decisions and plan actions, and resist external influences. Risk factors are pedagogical neglect, contacts with asocial peers, depressive disorders, low ability to cope with problem situations.
E. Erickson (1996a) noted that during the adolescent crisis, the individual is deeply involved in the integration process ego? identity... Identification, according to Erickson, includes a sense of continuity between the past and the present, a sense of constancy, as well as a holistic sense of the I, which includes goals, tasks and lifestyle along with sexual identification. Diffusion of identity, which, to one degree or another, is observed in all adolescents, is especially pronounced in boys and girls with psychological problems. She is characterized by feelings of insecurity, defenselessness, and aimlessness. A teenager, who does not know what he is, begins to take alcohol and drugs out of a desire for self-knowledge, in order to find the outer boundaries of his Self that elude him when he obediently functions in a sober, orderly world. The use of psychoactive substances also helps young men and women temporarily “lose their temper”, easing the identity crisis with its painful conflicts with parents and peers and excruciating hesitation in choosing a profession. Participation in a group of drug addicts facilitates the acquisition of status, which here depends not so much on personal qualities as on the possibilities of obtaining a drug, providing a place for a company to gather, etc.
A.E. Lichko and V.S. Bitensky (1991) found character accentuations in all examined drug-addicted adolescents (in the control group - only half). The following types of accentuations were identified: unstable, hyperthymic, epileptoid and hysteroid. For adolescents who use drugs, the following personality factors are characteristic:
· Increased, in comparison with prosperous peers, tolerance to deviant behavior, criticism in relation to social institutions of society (school, family) and alienation from them; impulsiveness, as well as susceptibility to new ideas and impressions, interest in creativity;
· Low value of achievements, academic success, generally accepted norms of behavior; feeling of mental discomfort, expressed in high levels of stress and apathy;
· Blaming external sources of responsibility for one's well-being, low self-esteem.
Surfactants perform the following important functions for a teenager: maintain a sense of adulthood and release from parents; form a sense of belonging to a group, as well as an environment of informal communication; provide an opportunity to act out sexual and aggressive urges without directing them to people; help regulate the emotional state; realize the creative potential of adolescents through experimenting with various substances (Zmanovskaya, 2003).
The first acquaintance with a drug is most often due to the following motives: the desire to satisfy curiosity; the desire to experience a sense of belonging to a particular group; group pressure; attempts to express their independence, and sometimes hostility towards others; the desire to achieve a mood lift; the need to achieve complete peace and relaxation; attempts to get away from something? or oppressive. The first acquaintance with drugs is facilitated by such factors (in terms of degree of significance) as personality deviations; features of social orientation: lack of stable, socially oriented interests, antisocial actions, alcoholism, awareness of the euphorizing effects of psychoactive substances; the desire to evade study and work; unfavorable features of upbringing: incomplete or dysfunctional family, upbringing with relatives or in an orphanage, neglect; indulgent upbringing that prevents the adolescent from developing a sense of duty and responsibility; features of the influence of a significant peer group; communication with offenders and criminals, drug addicts, drug dealers (Shabanov, Shtakelberg, 2001).
Usually drug addicts unite in groups under the influence of the following factors: fear of drug overdose and the hope that the group will save; drug brothels are specially supplied with drug dealers; joint criminal search for funds and drug procurement; mutual assistance in the face of external threats from the family, law enforcement agencies, doctors, citizens; having a strong leader or person capable of satisfying drug needs; joint actions and vivid, emotionally rich experiences; lack of usual duties, independence from society and family (Gogoleva, 2002). In a group of young drug addicts, there is often no leader, its stability is built on the blind fulfillment by each member of the group of his function, and an attempt to leave the group threatens with bullying and beatings (Zalygina et al., 2004).
R. May (1997) connects the prevalence of drug addiction among young people with the consequences of the sexual revolution, which led to the fact that the rebellion against parents is realized in drug addiction, shifting sex into the background. He notes that before taking drugs, patients showed signs of sexual weakness due to the fact that they could not bear the shutdown of the sense of self that occurs at the time of ejaculation. The drug dulls the feeling of inferiority, sexual desires no longer bother the addict, or he can continue intercourse indefinitely, without reaching orgasm. After the drug addiction is cured, libido and potency usually increase compared to the onset of the disease. In this case, treatment should be aimed at discovering by the addict his strength and gaining the ability to use it. This opportunity is provided by a self-help group in which a strong leader, perhaps a member of the group, replaces the patient's father. The addict is sharply criticized for his behavior, not afraid to provoke his rage, but direct it into a constructive channel of "social interest" (according to Alfred Adler).
In drug addicts, premorbid complications of neuroses, psychopathies and character accentuations, affective disorders, sluggish schizophrenia, and organic brain lesions are often revealed. The risk group includes persons seeking self-affirmation, increasing their social status and prestige, and escape from depression. People who, due to a constitutional predisposition, experienced pleasant sensations while taking drugs, most often become drug addicts. Neurotics often use psychoactive substances in order to compensate for their condition or to respond to those feelings that they usually suppress. Anesthesia, in turn, increases the manifestation of personality and affective disorders, exacerbates the course of mental illness. As the personality becomes psychopathic (and psychopathic personality - from the very beginning), the patient chooses a drug that enhances the existing personality disorders. Kraepelin also noted that asthenic psychopaths prefer morphine and finally go into narcotic dreams, reaching a deep degree of exhaustion. Viscous epileptoid psychopaths prefer sleeping pills and hallucinogenic drugs, hysteroids - tranquilizers, schizoids - opiates and hashish.
Psychodynamics.Joyce McDougall (2002) believes that the addict poses a threefold challenge: 1) the narcissistic challenge to the drug as a mother's introject (now you can never leave me!); 2) a sadistic challenge to the father's introject (I spit on your attitude towards me!); 3) a narcissistic death call (you are not for me!), Which is then replaced by a masochistic one (come!).
Drug addicts use analgesics and opiates to reduce aggressive impulses; depressants - to soften hypertrophied rigid defenses, keeping them in a state of internal isolation, emptiness and coldness. Barbiturates relieve feelings of fear, anger, shame, dissatisfaction, inferiority; they help overcome feelings of loneliness, awaken the desire for a symbiotic relationship with a caring strong personality. Euphorizing surfactants relieve feelings of boredom and depression; stimulants relieve lethargy, apathy, or hyperactivity, which are manifestations of weak or bloated ego structures - ideal in depressed and narcissistic individuals. Amphetamines eliminate the feeling of emptiness and lack of joy in life, relieving inner tension and creating a feeling of active and aggressive mastery of the world. Cocaine disinhibits sexual and aggressive desires, making it easier for the addict to contact with the main layers of his personality, without which he does not feel really alive. Hallucinogens lead to the destruction of higher mental functions, relieving the addict from feelings of emptiness, lack of meaning and displeasure associated with the presence of these functions. Archaic fantasies with the illusion of a primitive grandiose Self and merging with the Great Mother come to replace.
Drug addicts display such features of the self-image as lack of faith in themselves, low self-esteem, feelings of inferiority and guilt, and a tendency to resort to psychological defenses. The main forms of their psychological defense are denial, regression and compensation. Deniedthe intrinsic importance of the experience, in particular of depressive feelings. Through regressionsto an earlier level of mental functioning, the addict tries to avoid actual anxiety, becoming defenseless against the anxiety inherent in the stage to which he regressed. Through compensationhe avoids the anxiety associated with unresolved problems by channeling his activities in a safer direction. It should be noted the contrast between the low self-esteem of the addict and the high level of his claims.
The addict constantly complains of dissatisfaction, internal tension, self-hatred, depression, inability to love, unwillingness to live. Due to the pathology of the development of the ego and superego, as well as the lack of auto-aggressive work of sadness, real depression in drug addicts does not develop. Their aggression is directed at other people, society as a whole. Drug addicts treat the world worse than alcoholics. If the latter, in an attempt to cope with depressive boredom, rush into work with obsession, addicts reject any form of stubborn, prolonged activity.
Drug addicts are characterized by a stronger, than alcoholics, sadistic influence of the primitive Superego still in premorbid, leading to aggressive behavior, especially with parents and other authorities. First of all, drug addicts themselves suffer from these conflicts. The sadistic influence of the Superego also manifests itself in constant accidents and self-harm. Such behavior is associated with counterphobic defense, which is designed to prove to the addict his invulnerability in the face of voluntarily dramatized situations that symbolize mortal danger.
Fenichel (2004) concludes that addicts act as if any stress threatens them with severe injury. They perceive this tension as a harbinger of a clear threat to existence, just as an infant perceives hunger. Therefore, their main goal is not to achieve pleasure, but to avoid tension and pain. Fenichel suggested that chemical addiction protects against painful external and internal stimuli. If external stimuli can be changed by a simple change in social conditions, then no special therapy is required. Therapy will be less successful in the presence of noticeable early narcissistic abnormalities. The less time has passed since the addiction started, the more chances that the treatment will be successful. A preliminary phase of therapy is needed to help the patient realize that he is sick. The patient should not be expected to absolutely abstain from drug use at the beginning of treatment.
S. Rado in 1926 published the work "Psychic effects of intoxication, or an attempt to develop a psychoanalytic theory of pathological desires." He begins by offering a basic concept of pain, sedation, sleeping pills, and the stimulatory effects of narcotics. Then he refers to Abraham's position on the erotic nature of drug euphoria and describes pharmacogenic orgasm, different from sexual orgasm, as one of the goals of drug use. He notes that euphoria leads to a loss of a sense of reality, withdrawal from it and the formation of a primitive libidinal organization, which is characterized by the presence of aggressive and autoaggressive manifestations.
In 1933, in his next work, "Psychoanalysis of Pharmacotimia," Rado introduced the concept of psychotimia, denoting a disease consisting in a strong craving for chemicals. He describes stressful depression combined with pain intolerance as a reaction to frustration. At the same time, the chemicals cause intense joy, replacing sexual orgasm. The objects of love are no longer necessary, and the addict feels invulnerable, since nothing else can happen to him (her). However, then a pharmaco-chemical crisis sets in, which has three possible outcomes: 1) suicide, in which the patient believes his happiness consists in the final withdrawal from reality; 2) flight into temporary remission and 3) entry into a state of psychosis, into an illusory reality.
Kohut (2003) notes that the drug is not a substitute for loved and loving objects or relationships with them, but a substitute for the defect of the addict's Self. This defect arose because the child too early felt that he could not fully control the mother in accordance with his needs: as if she were part of himself. Taking the drug, he symbolically possesses its magical power, but the defect of the Self remains: "It is as if a person with a huge fistula in his stomach is trying to satisfy his hunger with food."
Hanzian (2000) explains the compulsive readiness of the addict to endure any torment associated with the consumption of psychoactive substances in order to get rid of his deepest mental pain at least for a while. The author suggests that this pain is based on the traumatic treatment of close relatives (abuse) suffered in childhood. The result of the abuse was a chronic painful affective state that did not have a verbal, figurative or other symbolic representation (as a result of the isolation of affect, alexithymia and anhedonia). Drug withdrawal becomes a means of transforming passive experiences into active experiences of control over their own painful feelings.
Vermser (2000) singles out denial and isolation of affect, the transformation of a passive position into an active one, with acting out as the main defenses observed in drug addiction. The consequence of denial is the splitting and disruption of the continuity of the Ego, which leads to the rupture of the sense of I and general instability. The unreliability and unpredictability of drug addicts outrages others and humiliates the patients themselves. The defense against this is the icy crust of narcissism, covered with the attractive charm of an antisocial psychopath.
Lürssen writes:
“Like a baby, the addict reacts with a mixture of rejecting rage and at the same time a desire for absolute security. At the same time, unbearable stress is experienced with a childish feeling that others are obliged to provide him with relief and protect. When this help does not come, and children's excessive claims are not satisfied, the addict feels deceived in his basic needs. The environment is perceived as cruel, heartless and hostile, and any means is suitable to alleviate this desperate situation. Therefore, the addict also believes that he does not bear any obligations to the society, which failed to help him. Instead of people with whom he is disappointed, the addict places all his hopes on the magical healing effects of the drug. The drug represents a special object for the addict, to which his libidinal and aggressive energy has shifted and filled. Like primary objects, it is both attractive and frightening. The addict sometimes strives for the drug, then curses it, never reaching its fully integrated image.
(Lürssen, 2001, p. 114)
A number of scientists highlight certain personality traits of a person who is prone to drug addiction. The main traits of a potential addict were identified as follows:
· Vulnerability, resentment.
· Low ability to accept, realize and express their feelings, unsuccessful attempts to control them and refusal to accept themselves as they are.
· Low self-care, inability to take care of oneself.
· Low self-esteem, alternating with high self-esteem (usually during or after drug use).
· Violations of relationships, low frustration resistance, intolerance of refusals, negative answers, which most often provokes either a rude or conniving attitude of close people.
The study and description of personality traits and behavior specific for drug addicts are of particular importance, since they allow separating the individual psychological characteristics of a young person from those formed by a drug addict lifestyle, effectively planning and implementing activities for primary and secondary prevention of drug addiction among young people.
Many studies have been devoted to the aspects of personality dynamics in drug addiction, which make it possible to create a generalized psychological portrait of an addict:
1. Weak or mixed type of higher nervous activity; asthenic constitution predominates.
2. Hypothetical or emotive type of response.
3. Characteristics - passivity, gentleness of character, compliance, developed sense of guilt; good nature and meekness, conscientiousness, high morality, loyalty; high sensitivity to environmental influences, indecision, fearfulness, shyness, a tendency to shift decision-making and responsibility onto the shoulders of others, anxiety, suspiciousness, mood largely depends on the attitude of others towards him, impressionability, a tendency to deep affection, introversion, pessimism, lack of communication, a tendency to fantasize, seeking recognition, a desire for cooperation; deceit, capriciousness, a latent increased passion for self-demonstration and a tendency to dramatize existing problems, the desire to indulge their weaknesses.
Generalization of characteristics creates an image of a person devoid of the excitement of existential creativity.
The personality structure of the addict is characterized by:
· Reduced integrative function "I", motivational and emotional instability, emotional immaturity;
· An affiliate driving need, i.e. search for a patron;
· A high level of motivation to avoid failure, the prevalence of fear of failure over the hope of success;
• pronounced passive-passive position, strong "superego";
· Lack of need for recognition; a pronounced desire to hide emotional and sexual experiences;
· Passive-dependent style of interpersonal behavior; a pronounced desire to get away from confrontation with a tough opposition of strong personalities into the world of ideal relationships, into the world of fantasies, to adapt to the team, as well as to the renunciation and destruction of one's "I";
· A style of thinking that combines verbal-analytical and artistic inclinations; blockage and indecision occur in stress;
· Defense mechanisms: repression or obsession, refusal of self-realization.
Due to weakened self-control and imbalance of opposites, drug addicts experience painful deformation of drives, which is expressed in a narrowing of the spectrum of their manifestation and sharpened characteristics: high anxiety, painfully expressed inertia turns into greed, aggressiveness, freed from the control of consciousness, manifests itself in outbursts of destructive hostility, introversion is transformed into autism, passivity - into masochism, pessimism is transformed into depression, suspiciousness and sensitivity - into hypochondriacism, emotiveness - into impulsive behavior. This indicates that drug addicts are in fact in a state of maladjustment.
The detected deformation of drives and basic personality traits is associated with the form of their realization in the socio-cultural life of the subjects. In our opinion, it can only be exacerbated by their drug use, because these tendencies are revealed already in childhood, and their experience of drug addiction is only a few years. Avoiding the present and the future with drugs helps reduce anxiety and is protective.
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Many experts are puzzled over how to eliminate such a pernicious phenomenon for society as drug addiction. The success of combating it largely depends on identifying the exact reasons that push people onto the path of drug addiction. The bulk of drug addicts are those who use drugs for other than medical reasons.
Initially, depending on the type of higher nervous activity, the type of drug, the dose, the method of its introduction into the body, the mental attitude of the subject, a euphoric effect is caused. A desire to take a certain type of drug is formed. They start taking them regularly.
The definition of "drug addiction" means a painful, abnormal addiction of a person to any of the substances that causes a state of euphoria, hallucinations, or in any other way changing the perception of reality.
Causes of drug addiction
Drug addiction can be caused by various factors, which can be conditionally divided into physiological and social (in other words, psychological). Moreover, in each individual case, the formation of dependence occurs for a combination of various reasons and primarily depends on the characteristics of the individual.
Physiological causes... It is customary to refer to such factors as the features of neurotransmitter metabolism in the brain of a particular person. With an excess or lack of certain neurotransmitters, a person becomes mentally unbalanced, anxious.
He has a feeling of inner dissatisfaction, depression, excess of negative emotions and the lack of positives. This condition is often hereditary.
A person with impaired levels of neurotransmitters begins to seek salvation in drugs. At first, drugs really help get rid of fear and anxiety, bestow feeling of calmness and bliss, as a result of which a person resorts to them more and more often until it enters the system.
After a while, as the body gets used to the drug, the effect of it becomes less and less pronounced (or disappears altogether), but at this stage the person has persistent addiction is formed both psychological and physical.
Psychological reasons
Psychological (or social) causes of drug addiction often depend on the psycho-emotional state of the individual and go back to childhood. These reasons include:
Most often, this reason is caused by the desire of a person imitate one of the idols, who achieved success, being a drug addict, or the influence of a certain kind of literature, which describes the "expansion of consciousness" with the help of forbidden substances.
And some of the creative people go even further, conducting experiments on their own bodies and minds in an attempt to track the effect of drugs on a person. In addition to the above, social reasons addiction can be called:
- influence on the psyche of young people of Western culture;
- lack of censorship, complete immorality in the media and hidden propaganda by them of an immoral lifestyle;
- lack of youth organizations, hobby clubs and similar institutions;
- the crisis of the values \u200b\u200bof modern society;
- ineffective promotion of a healthy lifestyle.
Psychology of addiction
Specialists whose competence includes the study of addictions agree that the problems of drug addiction and alcoholism as such do not exist separately - they are one of the consequences behavioral and mental disorders in human development.
As you know, the brain produces the so-called hormones of joy - endorphins, which are responsible for states of pleasure, relaxation and pain relief. Normally, endorphins are produced in sufficient quantities due to certain conditions of a person. And drugs are stimulants of their increased production.
The danger of drugs is that immediately after taking them, the amount of endorphins increases, and a person falls into a state of euphoria, but after some time after using the drug, the level of "joy hormones" is significantly reduced, since the drug disrupts their normal production.
Accordingly, to increase the amount of endorphins in a person new dose required - and with every use it gets bigger. This is what is called physical addiction - when the human body loses the habit of fully functioning without drugs.
It is common knowledge that drug addiction is a terrible addiction that ends very badly... This begs a completely logical question: why do people who are well aware of the dangers of drugs choose such an unhealthy satisfaction of their needs?
The main reason for all addictions is dissatisfaction with one's own life and the desire to change it. But in this case, the methods are chosen infantile, unhealthy. An adult with an unformed, childish mindset tries to solve his internal problems in an easy way, avoiding serious changes in his own activities and avoiding responsibility.
Alas, today's society is practically incapable of forming mature and self-sufficient individuals. And it is very difficult for an infantile person to understand himself and solve his problems in a normal way, especially if drug addiction has been added to them.
Infantilism as a cause of drug addiction
Some will object - after all, there are many successful personalities among drug addicts, what kind of infantilism can we talk about? Infantilism manifests itself not in a person's ability to make money, but in his social maladjustment, unformed psyche and thinking, lack of vision of life, spiritual and moral underdevelopment.
One of the clearest manifestations of infantilism is inability to deny yourself pleasures, even if these imply the satisfaction of lower needs and go against the instinct of self-preservation.
Where does infantilism come from, and why is it so widespread in modern society? The answer is simple - personality infantilism is directly related with excessive parental love and guardianship.
If a couple of centuries ago, parents perceived children as small adults, and treated them accordingly, now they seek precious children protect as much as possible from reality outside world, preventing them from fully maturing.
Overprotective, parents do not think that ruthless disfigure the psyche of children, do not allow them to know the world around them, develop a normal reaction to various situations and find their own manner of behavior.
To defeat addiction, you need first of all solve your own psychological problems... Otherwise, no matter how many courses of treatment a person takes, he will return to a bad habit, barely crossing the threshold of a medical institution. Until the motivation changes, nothing will change.
The way to combat drug addiction - long process, requiring physical and moral strength, volitional qualities, deep introspection and work on oneself.
