Transcript Motivations for Drug Use

Chapter 3
Motivations for Drug Use
Reasons for Drug Use
Experimentation: Curiosity to try a drug
Pleasure/Escape from Boredom: User enjoys
the effects of the drug or the use of the
drug relieves boredom.
-Drugs that are used to increase pleasure
or reduce boredom are reinforcing
Peer Influence: Young people in
particular use drugs to gain peer
acceptance or approval
Spiritual Purposes: Use of drugs to seek
out or communicate with something
or someone greater than themselves.
Self-Discovery: Use of drugs to fill a
void in one’s life
Social Interaction: Use of drugs to
facilitate interactions with others.
Rebelliousness: Use of drugs because
they are told not to. One of the best
predictors of increased drug use
among adolescents.
Drug Dependency vs. Drug
Addiction
Drug dependency: Recurring desire for
drugs based on a psychic or a
physical need
Drug dependency: Continuing desire for
drugs based on a physical need.
Both drug dependency and drug
addiction connote a compulsive need
to use a drug and an inability to
cease even if serious consequences
ensue.
Theories of Drug Addiction
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Personality Theories
Reinforcement Theory
Biological Theory
Social Theories
Personality Theory
Specific traits that are related to drug
dependence. These traits can include:
-Low self-esteem
-Poor interpersonal skills
-Need for immediate gratification
-Defiant feelings toward authority
-Little tolerance for anxiety
-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 (food, water, sex)
Secondary Reinforcers: signals for
increased probability of obtaining
primary reinforcers (money)
Biological Theories
Theories focus on genetic determination and
metabolic imbalances
-Genetic determination: postulates that
a person is predisposed to drug addiction
because of heredity influence.
-Metabolic influence: attributed to a
metabolic disorder
Social Theories
Premise is that cultural and social
influences contribute to drug abuse.
Further, drug abuse is socially learned
and benefits the individual by group
acceptance.
Mass Media and Drugs
 The impact of the media on drug use
is hard to determine
 More than $2.5 billion was recently
spent on advertising for prescription
drugs.
 According to the Center for Science in
the Public Interest over $740 million
was spent on beer advertisements,
$280 on liquor advertisements, and
$92 million on wine advertisements.
 Advertisement for drugs reinforce the
message that drug-taking is
acceptable and is the norm
 Billboards, television, music, and
celebrities can all be forms of media
that can potentially influence drug
behavior
Performance-Enhancing Drugs
Performance-enhancing drugs are also
known as ergogenic aids.
Ergogenic aids are used to gain a
competitive advantage. This notion is
not new and dates back to as early as
300 B.C. when some Greek athletes
ate mushrooms to enhance their
performance
Common performance-enhancing drugs
include anabolic steroids, human
growth hormones, creatine,
tetrahydrogestrinone (THG),
Androstenedione (Andro), stimulants,
and depressants.
Anabolic Steroids
Anabolic steroids are synthetic
substances similar to testosterone
and are used to build muscle
Taken during puberty augments muscle
mass
Users experience a stimulant-like high
and feelings of aggressiveness
“Stacking” is a term used to describe
taking several steroids at one time
Problems with Anabolic Steroids
-Liver and kidney tumors
-Acne
-Increased susceptibility to infections
-Abrupt mood changes
-Hypertension
-Stunted Growth
Gender Specific Problems with Anabolic
Steroid Use
Men: atrophied testicles, enlarged
breasts, enlarged prostate, infertility,
baldness
Women: baldness, decreased breast
size, increased facial hair, menstrual
irregularities, deepened voice
Human Growth Hormones (HGH)
and Erythropoietin (EPO)
Human Growth Hormones (HGH)
stimulate protein synthesis.
Erythropoietin (EPO) is a hormone that
increases red blood cell production
and improves endurance.
-Side effects can include blood clots, increased
bone growth in jaw, forehead, feet and hands.
Creatine
Creatine monohydrate is an over-thecounter substance marketed as a
nutritional supplement.
Creatine is believed to increase water
content in muscles adding to their
size.
Because creatine is a nutritional
supplement it is not scrutinized by
the FDA
Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG)
Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) is a
synthetic hormone gaining in
popularity. There is some speculation
that the side effects are similar to
other steroids
Androstenedione (Andro)
Androstenedione is a precursor molecule
that is one molecular step away from
testerone and is available over-thecounter.
Androstenedione is classified as a
nutritional supplement and made
famous by Mark McGuire
Stimulants
Numerous stimulants ranging from
caffeine to cocaine have been used to
increase endurance and subsequently
increase performance
Depressants
Depressants can reduce tremors and
can potentially influence performance
Summary
 People sometimes turn to drugs to
cope
 Drugs are easy to use, work quickly
and are transported easily
 Drug dependency and addiction are
different
 To determine the effects of the mass
media on drug use is difficult
 Current studies show that public
service announcements reduce drug
use
 Drugs are used by many to increase
performance