NCJ Number
172886
Date Published
1997
Length
26 pages
Annotation
Drug abuse causes are examined, with emphasis on the major theoretical explanations and findings of some of the main studies on the etiology of illicit drug use.
Abstract
Common models for drug use include the disease model, the moral model, and the social learning or behavioral model. The decision to consume drugs illicitly depends on their availability, but it may be affected by risk factors that increase the likelihood of use and protective factors that may prevent use. Motives for continuing use vary from drug to drug and from user to user and are sometimes described in terms of positive and negative reinforcement. Psychoactive drug use includes four forms of use: (1) ritual/cultural, (2) medical/therapeutic, (3) social/recreational, and (4) occupational/functional. The three main categories of motivation for illicit drug user are constitutional/personal factors, interpersonal factors, and social-environmental and cultural factors. The risks of drugs are part of the attraction for adolescents. In addition, drug users assess their own behavior and the behavior of others by different standards. Formal and informal social controls are also an issue; the perceived legitimacy of drug laws may affect the degree to which they are obeyed. Motives for cessation of drug use have received little research attention; the ability to sustain employment prior to addiction may be a crucial factor in stopping the use of drugs. Photographs, reference notes, and attached summary of a study on the circumstances surrounding the initiation into injection drug use