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  • EADD Moderators: Shambles

Why are some people "bad at drugs"?

angelsmoke

angelsmoke

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Why is it that some people develop abusive relationships with drugs, while others just use and have fun?

Physical addiction aside -- some people use drugs in a way that has bad effects on their lives, and makes them unhappy overall. I say "physical addiction aside", because I think using enough to get addicted is part of my original question. What drives some people to be unable to cope with reality to the point where they abuse drugs to keep them away from it? Is it purely a lack of self control?


I'm not asking on behalf of Mugz (who I hope in his absence has found some peace from this). It's me I'm asking for -- but I'll resist going on about my problems now.
 
Its very often down to underlying issues, self-destructive abuse of drugs being the symptom not the cause.

Then these issues come from a combination of factors like current life situation, genetics, upbringing, personality, etc. Its a complex thing and hard to give a direct general answer as to why some people develop drug problems and others don't. Every person is different.
 
I dunno, it just varies massively person to person, i cant pick something up and put it down, point in hand this faketamine which does something shit but still sniffing through it. Just 'addictive personalities' or however they wanna label it, can depend like ^^^^^ said on a huge variety of factors, and also just personality

Also I don't like reality, its shite
 
Was reading an article in New Scientist about this t'other week. Seems the pendulum has swung quite firmly back towards it being a genetic thing. Specifically a particular version of one of the genes that govern the dopamine system. People born with the "bad" allele are far more likley to develop problems not only with drugs and alcohol but also food, gambling, sex - more or less anything that could become a problem if your brain's reward system (and specifically the part of it that tell you to stop doing something when it is harmful to you even if it's also pleasurable) really.

There are still opposing views who really want to define it as a purely "moral" issue - weak willed "pull yourself together and sort it out" kinda folks - but the genetic research seemed far more persuasive to me. When mice are specially bred with the "addiction" version of the gene (DRD2 I think it was called) they overeat to the point of morbid obesity and become out and out junkies on just about any drug offered to them whilst "normal" mice do neither. The very definition of the "addictive personality" in specific genetic form.

Obviously it's not all gonna be "nature" - "nurture" is bound to play a large part too. But if you happen to be born with iffy genes and have enough of the right kind of iffy life experiences it's probably a bit of a sure thing you're gonna have issues with addictive behaviour of one sort or another. I know you exempted physical addiction but I don't really think it's necessarily a very useful distinction - not all addictions are physical in the way heroin or alcohol are. Alternatively, it is a useful distinction making this post pointless. You decide ;)

Quite interesting site about addiction and various contributory factors here. Tis an American site about drugs though so some of it should maybe be taken with a pinch of salt :D
 
Good point, Shambles. Every person in my immediate family has been affected by addiction in one form or another. I've heard that addiction can "skip" a generation too but unfortunately, I havn't seen that. Grandparents, both parents and sister (they're deceased) uncles, aunts, myself and my ex-husband have had alcohol and/or drug issues. Now my 15 year old son is struggling with marijuana. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. :(
 
Shambles -- thanks as ever for a really useful and informative post.

I probably should have restricted my original question to psychological issues. I may have bad genes, but I swear this shit would be within my control if I only knew how. I have an abusive family history but a good job, nice current family, etc.
 
me said:
... if you happen to be born with iffy genes and have enough of the right kind of iffy life experiences it's probably a bit of a sure thing you're gonna have issues with addictive behaviour of one sort or another.
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+

angel said:
... I may have bad genes... I have an abusive family history...
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=

angel said:
... abusive relationships with drugs
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;)
 
I don't accept for a moment that this is out of my control. "I fuck up because I was born to be a fuckup" --- well, NO!
 
Genetics doesn't mean that you have no control over your actions at all. Simply that people with certain genes just have to work harder to not get stuck in destructive patterns of behaviour than those that have different versions of said genes. Doesn't mean you don't have any control just that you might need to take control when others don't cos it comes naturally to them.

Besides, unless you've been tested for it there's no way of knowing which versions of which genes you have (unless perhaps there's family history of similar issues) so there's no need to assume genetics. I just raised it as a possibility and as potential partial explanation of "why some people are bad at drugs" as per the question.
 
T. Calderone said:
Good point, Shambles. Every person in my immediate family has been affected by addiction in one form or another. I've heard that addiction can "skip" a generation too but unfortunately, I havn't seen that. Grandparents, both parents and sister (they're deceased) uncles, aunts, myself and my ex-husband have had alcohol and/or drug issues. Now my 15 year old son is struggling with marijuana. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. :(
Click to expand...

It's definitely a pretty common thing. There are addiction and mental health issues running rampant down both sides of my family. Can't think of anyone I'm related too that doesn't have issues in one or both areas actually. Of course this doesn't make lifelong problems a fait accompli but it certainly doesn't help. At least folks in situations like this know what they're dealing with and know they need to be more cautious than others may need to be and be more aware of their actions and behaviour.
 
angelsmoke said:
Why is it that some people develop abusive relationships with drugs, while others just use and have fun?

Physical addiction aside -- some people use drugs in a way that has bad effects on their lives, and makes them unhappy overall. I say "physical addiction aside", because I think using enough to get addicted is part of my original question. What drives some people to be unable to cope with reality to the point where they abuse drugs to keep them away from it? Is it purely a lack of self control?


I'm not asking on behalf of Mugz (who I hope in his absence has found some peace from this). It's me I'm asking for -- but I'll resist going on about my problems now.
Click to expand...

Quite simply; when life sucks.... you turn to drugs.
 
)
angelsmoke said:
Why is it that some people develop abusive relationships with drugs, while others just use and have fun?

Physical addiction aside -- some people use drugs in a way that has bad effects on their lives, and makes them unhappy overall. I say "physical addiction aside", because I think using enough to get addicted is part of my original question. What drives some people to be unable to cope with reality to the point where they abuse drugs to keep them away from it? Is it purely a lack of self control?


\QUOTE]

I've been a drug addict for years (cocaine years ago and currently 6 days clean off heroin) and I never saw myself as 'bad at drugs' (even if it is an astute assessment). I saw myself as good at them because I could always do enough to kill a horse (not dicksizin', just being factual.) But I never did them for any other reason than I liked the way they made me feel. I like to get fucked up. Some people are like that.
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joonya77 said:
I've been a drug addict for years (cocaine years ago and currently 6 days clean off heroin) and I never saw myself as 'bad at drugs' (even if it is an astute assessment). I saw myself as good at them because I could always do enough to kill a horse (not dicksizin', just being factual.) But I never did them for any other reason than I liked the way they made me feel. I like to get fucked up. Some people are like that.
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Riight and physical addiction & poss escapism had nothing to do with it? You loved every bag of gear even though when rattling it wasn't enough to make you feel good, just feel a bit less sick? I get your drift though, and I like to get fucked up qft, dunno what it is, but i love being gone, whether blasted into k-land or a blissful nod or being so md'd i cant do owt other than lean against the bass bins at a night out, been asked on many occasion when out of control why do i keep at it, i just like it. Thankfully learnt a bit more self control recently though ha
 
I've never been a great fan of the 'addiction gene' theory. That's not to say there's nothing to it, just I don't really see how it's relevant to anything real. It should be a matter of supreme indifference whether someone's on the drink, drugs or the crosstown bus; what counts is how they behave on it. Of greater interest is why some peeps are fun when pissed and others are a pain in the butt, or why drugs seem to inspire manifest behaviour changes in some but none at all in others. A more worthwhile area for investigation, perhaps.
 
addiction, drug use, drug abuse, drug misuse... it's all very complicated.

cigarettes, very harmful, very addictive. some people don't get hangovers, some do.

see me... some peeps are surprised i ended up a bag head due to the fact that i am intelligent, but there are others who are not surprised saying that i was always a wreck head.

it's just so complicated. drug use doen't make all drug users bad... dirty druggies. i hate the lack of choice in escapism: drink or don't drink
 
angelsmoke said:
I don't accept for a moment that this is out of my control. "I fuck up because I was born to be a fuckup" --- well, NO!
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Well people from backgrounds of which they find difficult emotionally may turn to mind-altering substances for a form of escapism.
That could just be me though, but seriously - First experience of a psychoactive substance it was like I didn't care anymore about going home to a load of shit and arguing etc. etc.
It's like the need for escapism becomes a habit in itself almost.
Cornishman said:
I'm good at drugs.

It's just the money part.
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I suggest becoming a banker so you can get the ca$h mon£y mon£y and stuff loads of Coke up yer shnozzle ;)
 
The pendulum has also swung back in favour of abstinence big-time.

Some people are bad at alcohol. Some people are bad at shopping.

Ain't a gene thing.

Environment, environment, environment.
 
Never said it was completely down to genes, SHM. Up until recently though the talk of genes was mostly kinda vague and essentially anecdotal (wreckheads run in families) but the more recent research has pinned down a specific named gene and the particular variant that has the effect. Obviously no complicated behaviour is ever gonna be directly caused by a single genefail but it definitely does seem to be very well correlated. Wasn't just in mice they showed the effect - was also from checking people with a wide range of addictions (both chemical and behavioural/social) and they all had the variant in question. Nowhere near conclusive cos was a relatively small sample size but definitely quite suggestive. Particularly given the role of the gene in question (it's one thats responsible for reducing dopamine to stop repetitive behaviours - although that's somewhat oversimplified, I'm sure).

Obviously environment is another key factor. My view is that both genetics and environment alone can make "problem" use more likely, put the two together and it becomes even more likely, but either or both alone maketh not the addict. Any number of factors are surely involved.
 
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