Factors responsible for the drug habit

1. Association and example of relatives and friends
2. To alleviate the symptoms of a disease, or as a cure for certain ailments
3. To overcome fatigue
4. For euphoric and pleasure-giving effects.
5. To replace another addiction, such as alcoholism

Not all users of recreational (street) drugs are addicted to them, any more than all users of alcohol are alcoholics. However, the defect in perception that is a basic flaw in addictive disease leads addicts themselves to be the last people to believe that they really do have an addiction problem.

Early Life Stress May Contribute to Drug Addiction     

       Stress early in life may increase the risk of drug abuse later on, according to results of a study in rats. Animals who underwent the stress of being isolated from their mothers and siblings showed an increased readiness to use cocaine, suggesting that humans who experience early childhood stress may be more vulnerable to drug addiction.

      In the study, researchers looked at eight rat pups that were separated from their mothers and siblings for one hour per day for their first week of life. About three months later, the rats were given daily access to increasing doses of cocaine. Their behavior was compared with six rat pups that had not been isolated from their mothers. The findings are published in the October issue of Brain Research.

     The investigators found that both groups of animals helped themselves to the cocaine. However, the group that had been deprived as babies was much quicker to partake in the activity, according to lead author Therese A. Kosten of Yale University in New Haven, Conn. and colleagues.

       "The data from the present study suggest that ... stress increases vulnerability to cocaine addiction. Further, these results are consistent with reports that early life stress is common among drug addicts," the authors write.

       "Given that 1.8 million Americans are currently using cocaine, such information will be valuable in directing investigations toward potential interventions for children with early stress experiences in order to reduce the risk of developing drug addiction as adults, " Kosten's team concludes.


Causes of drug abuse
        Medical experts are still unable to definitively state what causes drug abuse, so there are a variety of explanations being offered. These various explanations can be divided into four main psychological theories. The behaviorists believe that drug abuse is not a genetic trait but instead a learned behavior. They believe that people begin to use drugs by copying the habits of those around them. The humanists also believe that drug abusers are a product of their environment. The biological theory, however, believes that drug abuse is an inherited trait, meaning that certain people have a genetic predisposition toward using and abusing drugs. Finally, the social work theory feels that people use drugs because of their socio-economic status. They feel that drugs are used in an attempt to escape an intolerable situation.