Substance Abuse: A Psychological Analysis

WebMD defines substance addiction as the “chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences to the drug addict and those around them. Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain”. (Goldberg 2014) While the actual physical state of dependence on both legal and illegal substances such as alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and cocaine is a mental disorder and a disease of the brain, what causes an individual to begin this long, harmful decline into the dark depths of addiction and abuse? There are two major arguments in the case of the root causes of one’s susceptibility towards substance abuse; whether it is due …show more content…
While many scientists today argue that substance abuse is entirely dependent on an individual’s genetic composition, without the influential cultural and social factors along with the socialization experiences that trigger the onset of the usage of these dangerous narcotics, one is left with nothing more than a simple biological predisposition towards addiction without the environmental catalysts necessary to inaugurate the condition. There are various mechanisms in which the cultural and environmental factors of a society impact the choices of the individuals it encompasses. Social force mechanisms such as the adverse consequences of social inequality, the pressures and impacts of agents of socialization, and the influences of major cultural aspects of a society such as media all contribute to an increased probability that an individual will begin to use and, eventually, abuse potentially life threatening …show more content…
Certain interactions between one’s family and the experiences and influences with peer groups can create a culture of deviant substance use and abuse among certain individuals. Throughout the course of life, there are various forces which influence the process of socialization and the overall development of an individual. Some of these important influences are referred to as agents of socialization, which aid in development during the process of socialization throughout one’s life. Some of the most important agents of socialization are the family unit and peer groups. The experiences an individual has with their family and the influences, either good or bad, of one’s peer group have an enormous effect on their development towards or away from deviant behavior such as drug