Understanding what causes drug abuse is important if you or a friend or loved one have a substance abuse problem. There are many different factors involved when substance abuse occurs. Knowing what causes drug abuse allows you to understand the various factors in your case, or in the situation that a friend or loved one is in. Genetics, psychological factors, social aspects and pressures, stress, environmental conditions, and numerous other things may be responsible for drug abuse, and each case has different contributing factors. To treat substance abuse effectively the program must look at what causes drug abuse for the specific individual, and a personalized custom treatment plan should be developed to address the contributing factors to the substance abuse. If this is not done then the chance of a permanent recovery may not be as high, and relapse is a big possibility.
If you have a family history of substance abuse then this can be a factor in some cases, but others may not have any family history for substance abuse and they still turn to drugs for other reasons. What causes drug abuse is personal for each person, and identifying the reasons that the drug abuse occurs is the first step to recovering from substance abuse. Mental illness can also cause drug abuse, because the person may try to use drugs and possibly alcohol to self medicate and eliminate symptoms of the mental illness. Teens often start doing drugs because of peer pressure, and in some cultures and countries drug abuse is accepted and this can play a contributing role as well.
Do you know what causes drug abuse, and are there other factors that you feel are important?