Etiology of Substance Abuse
Etiology of Substance Abuse
Kendell Hodgden
Physiological Complications/Psychopharmacology
Abstract
The etiology of substance abuse varies. This paper focuses on psychological, biological,
sociological theories, genetics, the environment and also gender. I state my opinions on each of
the topics but I also state doctor views and statistics.
Etiology of Substance Abuse
Etiology is the science and study of the causes or origins of disease or the cause or origin of
a disease or disorder as determined by medical diagnosis. (The Free Dictionary) The causes of
alcoholism and drug abuse vary depending on each individual. It varies according to gender,
race, sexuality, peer pressure, family history, mental disorders, availability, environment, etc.
“Like many psychological disorders, drug addiction and dependence depends on several things.
Two main factors include: Environment; environmental factors, including your family’s
beliefs and attitudes and exposure to a peer group that encourages drug use, seem to play a
role in initial drug use. Genes; once you’ve started using a drug, the development into
addiction may be influenced by inherited traits.” (The Mayo Clinic Staff)
Psychological, Biological, Sociological Theories
“Biological theories are those that postulate specific physical mechanisms in individuals
that impel or influence them either to experiment with drugs or to abuse them once they are
exposed to them…Theories relying on psychological factors fall into two basic varieties:
those emphasizing the mechanism of reinforcement, and those stressing that the
personalities of the drug user, abuser, and especially addict are different from those of the
abstainer, and are causally related to use and abuse…The field of sociology proposes seven
partially overlapping sociological theories to help explain drug use: (1) anomie, (2) social
control, (3) self-control,(4)social learning and subcultural, (5) selective
interaction/socialization, (6) social disorganization, and (7) conflict.” (mcgraw-hill)
I agree with the sociological theory for the fact that many times social control, self-control,
conflict and social learning and disorganization have a big impact on a person. For example you
need self-control to be willing to either stop abusing or to just never try a drug. For social control
you need to be in control of who you become involved with and whether they will have a
positive or negative affect on you. I also agree with the biological theory because I think there
could be an underlying affect as to why we want to try a drug it isn’t only pressure to fit in or
something like that. It could be a spark in the brain saying lets try this and see what it does;
almost like ADHD how you sometimes don’t think of the outcome, you act before you think.
Environmental
“This study in non-human primates shows how social factors can influence the level of
dopamine receptors and the propensity to
self administer drugs. Illustrated above are
PET images of the brains of monkeys that
were initially individually housed (left) and
then group housed (right). Those emerging
at the top of their social rank – experiencing
less stress and more access to natural
rewards – expressed more dopamine receptors (bright yellow) and took less cocaine than
did submissive monkeys (green symbols on graph).” (NIH, 2008)
Children that live with a parent or parents that do drugs think that it is okay to follow in
those footsteps. They don’t always realize that it is not the smartest decision. The household
environment is not the only one that can influence someone. Generally it doesn’t help if you
surround yourself with negative actions. If you hang out with people who drink and do drugs
eventually it is more likely that you will also try them.
Genetics
“When scientists look for “addiction genes,” what they are really looking for are biological
differences that may make someone more or less vulnerable to addiction.”(Glen Hanson)
“It may be harder for people with certain genes to quit once they start. Or they may
experience more severe withdrawal symptoms if they try to quit. Factors that make it
harder to become addicted also may be genetic. For example, an individual may feel sick
from a drug that makes other people feel good.”(Glen Hanson)
Just because someone in your family has an addiction to alcohol doesn’t mean that you will be
addicted to alcohol. You will just have to be careful as to your limits and how much you drink.
You will be vulnerable to getting an addiction but you can prevent it. No one is born an addict.
“Genes also account for 60 percent of the tendency to become addicted and 54 percent of one’s
ability to quit. When it comes to tobacco, genetics account for about 75 percent of a
person’s inclination to begin smoking, said University of Pennsylvania psychologist
Caryn Lerman, PhD.”(Price, 2008)
I think that genetics can hold a heavy weight on how alcoholism or drug abuse will affect you in
the long run. I have many friends who have alcoholic parents all of them have different views
regarding the issue. One friend for example doesn’t like hearing about drinking experiences, his
father died in an alcohol related accident. My cousin’s father is an alcoholic and he tends to drink
about the same amount as his father and also smoke a lot of weed because that is how he was
brought up and he doesn’t see anything wrong with it. I have asked him many times why he
drinks so much and he has told me many different things like “hey if my dad can do it I can to,”
or “it makes everything feel okay.” Some of his statements almost seem like a slap to the face for
his dad because it is like he is trying to punish his dad for his mistakes. So I agree that it isn’t
genetics itself it is all based on how much caution you should take because yes you will be
vulnerable.
Gender
“Binge and heavy drinking are more prevalent among men than among women. In 2011,
30.0 percent of men 12 and older and 13.9 percent of women reported binge drinking (five or
more drinks on the same occasion) in the past month; and 9.1 percent of men and 2.6 percent of
women reported heavy alcohol use (binge drinking on at least five separate days in the past
month).”(NIH, 2012)
“In 2010, more males than females ages 12 to 20 reported past month alcohol consumption
(28% v. 24%, respectively), binge drinking (20% v. 14%) and heavy drinking (7% v. 4%).
However, among 12- to 17-year olds, the percentage of males and females who report drinking
in the past month is the same (14%).” (Source: SAMHSA, 2010 National Survey on Drug Use
and Health, 2011)
In my opinion I don’t think gender has a role in becoming an addict. I think it more has to
do with the stressful situations in their life. Everyone is different. For example a girl could be
brought up in a rich household where she believed alcohol is bad, but the boy may have been
brought up with parents that didn’t really care what their child did now he would be more
susceptible to experimenting. It’s not so much based on whether male or female but more so
based on the key stuff like genetics or how or where they were raised. Men and women both
have stressful situations that may occur in their life; losing a job, divorce, college, bills, etc.
Everyone handles their stress differently some choose negative decisions to handle it. I don’t
think it has to do with their gender. The cause of substance abuse varies on so many factors.
Refrences
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