What Causes Someone to Become a Drug Addict?

Anyone who becomes addicted to drugs or has an addict in their family knows the pain that can come from this behavior. Many drug addicts are miserable, and their friends and family members also feel the results of this behavior.

If those in the mental health field look at someone’s drug consumption, they might feel that dual diagnosis is appropriate. This term refers to someone who is dealing with drug addiction and a mental health disorder or crisis at the same time. 

Mental health problems can cause a person to take drugs because they want to self-medicate. That’s hardly the only reason for drug addiction, though. Let’s go into a little more depth about what causes drug addiction.  

Peer Pressure

Many times, peer pressure comes into play when trying to figure out why someone has become addicted to drugs. Some people take drugs as part of a party scene. They feel like it’s normal because everyone around them is doing it.

Maybe their friends make fun of them if they’re the only ones at a party not ingesting a particular substance. However, even if the friends do not explicitly tell them to do the drugs, this person might still feel a strong urge to do them. Everyone around them is indulging, so they feel they should do the same to avoid being ostracized. 

That’s how the behavior can start, but if the person likes the drugs, they may continue the behavior even when their friends aren’t around. That is a tried-and-true path to potential drug addiction.

A Familial Proclivity

You might also start doing drugs because there is a history of drug use in your family. Studies have shown that there are genetic indicators that make a person more likely to do drugs and possibly become addicted to them if they come from a particular bloodline.

This is not to say that if you have some drug addicts in your family, you will automatically become one. It simply means that because of your genetic makeup, drugs might be more of a temptation to you than someone who does not come from this gene pool.

A Combination of Factors

Sometimes, it is not a single factor that causes someone to become a drug addict, but several. An individual might become addicted to drugs because of mental health problems, peer pressure, and a genetic predisposition all at the same time. 

A single traumatic event might cause drug experimentation, like a close friend dying or a nasty breakup. Many possible traumas can start drug use, and that use can quickly spiral out of control if the person wants to wallow in their misery.

While there are many possible causes of drug addiction, the result is generally the same. The user continues to hurt themselves and those around them.

Seeking treatment is usually the best way to get help, but that’s easier said than done. It takes a lot of willpower to decide you want to get clean and to follow through on that.