Understanding the Biological and Social Factors Influencing Drug Addiction
TL;DR
It was revealed that initiation of substance use was most often in adolescence, and alcohol was the most often used substance, and there was a moderate positive relationship between the age of initiation and the age of participants.
Abstract
Drug use and dependence are prominent health issues of concern to the general population, especially young adults and adolescents. This research analyzed trends of substance use, awareness of drug-related harms, and perceived social factors among individuals with different experiences of addiction and recovery. The survey was carried out in the form of a cross-sectional survey of 22 respondents, and 19 distinct answers were evaluated following data cleaning. Relationships between variables were analyzed with descriptive statistics and inferential tests such as chi-square tests and Spearman correlation. Results revealed that initiation of substance use was most often in adolescence, and alcohol was the most often used substance. The participants tended to indicate a low level of previous knowledge about drug-related harms, and there was no significant correlation between school-based drug education and the level of knowledge. It was noted that there was a significant correlation between perceived peer pressure and the presence of friends who used substances, which indicates the impact of the social settings. Also, there was a moderate positive relationship between the age of initiation and the age of participants. Although the experiences were different, the majority of the participants were of the view that recovery is possible. These results provide support for the significance of the social context and the significance of early intervention, and imply that the existing educational approaches could be improved.