What are the causes of drug addiction?

This is a question that many people have asked, from family members of someone struggling with addiction to individuals who think they may be addicted to drugs or alcohol.

The bottom line is this: there is no one root cause of addiction. But what can we do to get to the bottom of dependence and understand the underlying causes of addiction?

To help you through this process, we answer six major questions that address everything from the underlying issues of addiction to the psychological factors of addiction.

• Is there one root cause of addiction?
• What is the difference between dependence and addiction?
• What are the causes of addiction?
• What are the psychological factors of addiction to consider?
• What are the social factors of addiction to consider?
• What does having an addictive personality mean for addiction?

Anyone can become addicted to drugs or alcohol, but the issues that they face in this process can vary a great deal. We hope to clear up these experiences by revealing just some of the many underlying causes of addiction.

Question 1: Is There One Root Cause of Addiction?

The Short Answer:

No, there is no one single root cause of addiction. There are many different causes of addiction, and the underlying causes of drug abuse vary person to person.

The Longer Answer:

Just some of the areas of human experience that can work as the root cause of addiction include:

• Social stress at work, with family, or with loved ones.
• Social pressure from friends or family who use drugs.
• Genetic components – i.e. having a family member who has suffered from addiction.
• Psychological causes of addiction, including anything from depression to PTSD.
• Environmental factors, such as growing up in a home of substance abuse or addiction.

As this short list highlights, there are several underlying issues of addiction rather than a single set of underlying causes of drug abuse or addiction.

Not only that, but there are also many different theoretical models of substance abuse. Some experts think that addiction may stem from social, economic and environmental pressures. Other professionals may point to the psychological model of addiction – viewing addiction as a means of coping with trauma or past negative experiences.

Many people ask, “What are the causes of addiction?” It turns out the answer to this question may not be all that simple.

Question 2: What is the Difference Between Dependence and Addiction?

The Short Answer:

Drug dependence is characterized by physical tolerance and withdrawal symptoms, while drug addiction is the inability to quit the substance in the face of this physical dependence.

The Longer Answer:

The difference between dependence and addiction can sometimes be difficult to see, but it is an important distinction when talking about what the causes of addiction are.

“Addiction – or compulsive drug use despite harmful consequences – is characterized by an inability to stop using a drug. Physical dependence in and of itself does not constitute addiction, but it often accompanies addiction.”

~ The National Institute on Drug Abuse

Physical dependence is relatively common when any kind of drug – from prescription painkillers to Adderall – is taken over a long period of time. Dependence involves building up a tolerance to the effects of the drug, and experiencing withdrawal symptoms when quitting the drug.

In contrast, addiction takes shape when someone continues to use a drug despite the negative effects of its use. Someone who has become physically dependent on a drug will be able to go through the withdrawal and not touch the drug again. Someone who has become addicted to a drug will have a much harder time going through the same process.

Question 3: What Are the Causes of Addiction?

The Short Answer:

It’s complicated, and there are many different factors that precede addiction – even if they don’t directly cause addiction.

The Longer Answer:

What are the causes of drug addiction? There are nearly as many different causes of addiction as there are addicts. Everyone has a different story, and these stories affect how people come to a place of addiction.

• There are psychological causes of addiction.
• There are social causes of addiction.
• There are genetic causes of addiction.
• There are environmental causes of addiction.
• There are behavioral causes of addiction.
• There are physical causes of addiction.
• There are emotional causes of addiction.
• There are relational causes of addiction.
• There are chemical causes of addiction.
• There are economic causes of addiction.

We want to tell it to you straight: asking for the specific underlying causes of drug abuse and addiction is like trying to capture human experience in a single blog post. When it comes to what causes addictions in people, there is no easy or straightforward answer.

If we were to try to boil down the cause of addiction to a single factor, it would simply be that drugs are addictive and the brain automatically becomes dependent on them. But even that answer does not capture what causes an addiction.

Instead, there are a variety of underlying issues of addiction that make people more or less likely to face drug abuse and dependence in their life.

Question 4: What Are the Psychological Factors of Addiction to Consider?

The Short Answer:

The psychological model of addiction holds that addiction is often caused by other mental disorders, like depression or PTSD. According to the psychological theory of addiction, addiction is often a means of dealing with past or current trauma.

The Longer Answer:

There are two sides to the psychological causes of addiction: the impact of past events and the power of other current mental disorders.

First of all, the main psychological factor of addiction to consider is the impact of stressful or traumatic past events. According to the psychological theory of addiction, addiction is a direct result of other mental disorders.

In turn, these mental disorders are caused by past trauma, stressful events, or even genetic factors.

“The psychopathological model sees mental disorders as the cause of addiction. These disorders might include cognitive difficulties, mood disturbances, and other mental illnesses. Roughly half of the people seeking addiction treatment will have another significant mental disorder.”

~ Dr. Tom Horvath

In other words, this psychological theory of addiction places a lot of importance on both the impact of past events and the presence of other mental disorders. This is often called comorbidity, or co-occurring disorders.

Even if the psychological model of addiction does not address all cases of addiction, it is helpful for understanding some of the psychological factors of addiction.

Question 5: What Are the Social Factors of Addiction to Consider?

The Short Answer:

Environmental factors of addiction include family background, whether or not you have a supportive community, and even your life stage.

The Longer Answer:

When talking about theoretical models of substance abuse, experts usually break the underlying causes of drug abuse into two parts: genetics and environment.

The ‘environmental’ factors of addiction essentially describe the social reality for the person facing addiction or drug abuse. While there is a wide range of social factors when it comes to answering what causes addictions in people, some common social factors of addiction to consider include:

• Giving in to peer pressure from friends or family
• Feeling the need to relieve stress at work or pressure at home
• Lacking a healthy sense of community from a supportive group
• Feeling the need to rebel as an adolescent or young adult
• Finding the lifestyle of drug use appealing
• Growing up in an environment of drug or alcohol abuse

Question 6: What Does Having an Addictive Personality Mean for Addiction?

The Short Answer:

According to many experts, there is no such thing as an addictive personality.

The Longer Answer:

When most people talk about an addictive personality, they mean a set of character traits that make someone more likely to use, abuse and become addicted to drugs.

The truth is, there is no such thing as an addictive personality. Simply put, personality or character is not considered to be what causes addictions in people at all.

“What people often underestimate is the complexity of drug addiction – that it is a disease that impacts the brain, and because of that, stopping drug abuse is not simply a matter of willpower. Through scientific advances we now know much more about how exactly drugs work in the brain, and we also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help people who want to stop abusing drugs and resume productive lives.”

~ Web MD, “Drug Abuse, Addiction, and the Brain”

When asking about what causes an addiction, it is important to understand that there are many different underlying issues of addiction. Substance use and addiction are not brought about – or continued – through a character flaw or detrimental personality trait. Anyone can become addicted to drugs – and anyone can overcome the effects of addiction.

The Long and Short of It: Getting Addiction Treatment is a Choice Worth Making

No matter what the underlying causes of addiction are, there is no question that getting treatment for addiction is the best option.

Therapy for addiction, like cognitive behavioral therapy or even mutual support groups, can help individuals struggling with addiction get to the bottom of their dependence on drugs. Addiction treatment programs open up the opportunity to address the root cause of addiction on an individual basis.

Treatment programs like an intensive outpatient program look at the psychological factors of addiction, including the underlying issues of addiction for each individual. Processing these underlying issues can help individuals rise above the negative effects of drug or alcohol dependence. Not only that, but addiction treatment and therapy helps participants identify coping strategies for the future.

If you still have questions about the underlying causes of addiction, or even the root cause of addiction in your own life, feel free to contact us today.