Goldberg Chapter 3 Motivations for Drug Use

Albia Dugger • Miami Dade College

Chapter 3 Motivations for

Drug Use

Reasons for Drug Use

• Experimentation: • Especially among young people, curiosity is a natural

phenomenon that easily leads to experimentation

• Pleasure/Escape from Boredom: • An individual who is bored will engage in something

pleasurable to relieve the boredom• Drugs used to increase pleasure or reduce boredom

provide positive reinforcement• Drugs taken to alleviate discomfort provide negative

reinforcement

Reasons for Drug Use

• The desire to get high may be genetically programmed into some people

Reasons for Drug Use

• Peer Influence: • Many young people use drugs to gain peer acceptance or

approval• Basic values, life goals, and aspirations still are influenced

more by parents

• Spiritual Purposes: • People have used drugs to communicate with something

or someone greater than themselves• Psychoactive plants have roles in many religious and

spiritual practices

Parents who pass on values can discourage drug use

Reasons for Drug Use

• Self-Discovery:• Drugs sometimes are used to fill a void in one’s life

• Social Interaction: • Drugs are used to facilitate interactions with others• Certain social groups determine how a drug is used

• Rebelliousness: • Young people rebel against the conventions of society,

including warnings about drugs

Factors That Influence the Use of Alcohol and Other Drugs

Drug Dependency vs. Drug Addiction

• Drug dependency: • Recurring desire for drugs based on a psychic or a

physical need

• Drug addiction: • Continuing desire for drugs based on a physical need

• Both connote a compulsive need to use a drug and an inability to cease using it despite serious consequences

Drug Dependency vs. Drug Addiction

• Physical dependency is marked by withdrawal symptoms – physical symptoms that appear after drug use ceases

• People who are physically dependent on a drug need to take the drug to ward off withdrawal symptoms.

• Psychological dependency refers to one’s perceived need for a drug

Downward Spiral of Psychological Addiction

Cycle of Psychological Addiction

Drug Dependency vs. Drug Addiction

• Addiction is “an ingrained habit that undermines your health, your work, your relationships, your self-respect, but that you feel you cannot change”

• Dependency encompasses more than drugs: a person can become dependent on food, religion, love, exercise, or gambling

Theories of Drug Addiction

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Addiction is a “chronic, life-threatening condition that has roots in genetic susceptibility, social circumstance and personal behavior”

• No single theory adequately covers every aspect of drug addiction – elements of various theories provide insight into drug addiction

Personality Theory

• Delayed behavioral or emotional development may be a factor in substance abuse

• Personality characteristics associated with drug abuse:• Low self-esteem• Poor interpersonal skills• Need for immediate gratification• Defiant feelings toward authority• Little tolerance for anxiety, frustration, and depression• Impulsivity• Risk taking• Low regard for personal health

Reinforcement Theory

• Reinforcers are stimuli or events that increase the likelihood of a particular behavior

• Primary reinforcers reduce physiological needs or are inherently pleasurable; examples are food, water, and sex

• Secondary reinforcers act as signals for the increased probability of obtaining primary reinforcers; example: money

• Drugs can be primary or secondary reinforcers

Biological Theories

• Biological theory is a view of addiction holding that it is based on genetics and metabolic imbalances

• Genetic theory: a person is predisposed to drug addiction, including addiction to alcohol, by hereditary influence

• Metabolic imbalance: Narcotics help addicts stabilize the metabolic deficiency caused by absence of the drug

Genetic and environmentaleffects on twins

Social Theories

• Social theory is the hypothesis that drug use is determined by cultural and social influences

• Rewards of drug use may be derived from groups and others with whom we associate

• Drug abuse may arise from antisocial behavior

• Social theory does not explain drug addiction

Mass Media and Drugs

• The impact of the media on drug use is hard to determine

• Many forms of mass media feature drugs:• Movies• Advertisements• Billboards• Television• Music• Celebrities

Advertisement

• An estimated $25 billion is spent on advertising tobacco, alcohol, and prescription drugs

• One study of alcohol marketing worldwide showed that young people are influenced by marketing

• Advertisements for cigarettes play on many themes, particularly independence

• After cigarette ads were prohibited from television in 1971, the void was filled with advertisements for smokeless tobacco

Other Mass Media

• Billboards• Heavily promote alcohol and tobacco

• Television• Huge influence on American views and behaviors

• Music and music videos• Illicit drug, tobacco, and alcohol use are common

• Celebrities• Many have overdosed, been arrested for drug use, or

entered drug treatment programs

Billboards that advertise beer

Billboards that advertise tobacco

Performance-Enhancing Drugs

• Performance-enhancing drugs, also known as ergogenic aids, are used to gain a competitive advantage

• As early as 300 BC, some Greek athletes ate mushrooms to enhance their performance

• Drug abuse in sports has become more publicized in the last few years – e.g. Major League Baseball

• The type of sport and gender of the athlete influence the drug of choice

Anabolic Steroids

• Anabolic steroids• Substances used to increase muscle mass• Related to male sex hormones• Testosterone during puberty augments muscle mass and

strength, but later in adolescence stunts growth• Users may engage in stacking – ingesting and injecting

several steroids at the same time• Users display symptoms of depression, panic, anxiety,

paranoia, mania, and suicidal behavior (roid rage)

Steroid Use by Athletes

Problems with Anabolic Steroids

• Steroid effects on men and women:• Acne• Increased susceptibility to infections• Abrupt mood changes• Hypertension• Decreased HDL (good cholesterol)• Effects on liver• Stunted growth

Gender-Specific Effects

• Men: • More frequent

erections• Atrophied testicles• Enlarged breasts• Enlarged prostate• Infertility• Baldness

• Women: • Baldness• Decreased breast size• Enlarged clitoris• Increased facial hair• Fluid retention• Menstrual irregularities• Deepened voice

Human Growth Hormonesand Erythropoietin

• Human growth hormones (HGH)• Hormones that stimulate protein synthesis• Used by athletes to enhance performance

• Erythropoietin (EPO) • Hormone that enhances cardiovascular endurance by

increasing red blood cell production• Can lead to blood clots, increasing the risk for heart

attacks, stroke, and pulmonary embolism

Creatine Monohydrate

• Creatine monohydrate • Natural substance used to increase strength and short-

term speed • Sold over-the-counter as a nutritional supplement• Believed to increase water content in muscles, adding to

their size and ability to function• Reduces range of movement• Reported side effects include muscle cramping,

dehydration, water retention, and kidney problems• Not regulated by the FDA

Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG)

• Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) • Designer drug, closely related to the banned anabolic

steroids gestrinone and trenbolone• Used by many professional athletes• Not approved by FDA • May cause some of the same side effects as steroids

Androstenedione (Andro)

• Androstenedione • Food supplement used for muscle development • Precursor molecule, one step away from testosterone• Banned by NCAA, NFL, and IOC• Effects are similar to those of anabolic steroids• In January 2010, the FDA recalled androstenedione

because of its potential side effects

Stimulants

• Cocaine impairs performance requiring hand-eye coordination and concentration

• Amphetamines have been used in sports to reduce fatigue and sustain intense exercise

• Caffeine is used to improve endurance, especially short-term endurance

• Many sports and energy drinks are high in caffeine and calories

Professional Sports and Drug Testing

Depressants

• Barbiturates inhibit performance

• Benzodiazepines (minor tranquilizers) impair psychomotor performance

• Alcohol reduces psychomotor skills and aerobic capacity – also impairs reaction time, fine and complex motor coordination, balance and steadiness, visual tracking, and information processing

Sexual Performance

• Many prescribed and over-the-counter drugs alter sexual functioning

• Drugs such as methamphetamines and alcohol lead to unsafe sexual practices

• Drugs are commonly used, especially in clubs, to make the user less sexually inhibited

• Alcohol and narcotics can adversely affect sexual desire, performance, and satisfaction