Profile of the dependent person, in 9 traits and habits.

Drug addiction is more frequent in types of people who meet certain characteristics.

The consumption of psychoactive substances is a relatively frequent phenomenon in our society. The reasons for such consumption are many and varied, from treating the effects of a disorder or illness to alleviating the psychological or physical suffering caused by certain circumstances or even simply for recreational use.

But many people who use drugs on a regular basis end up becoming addicted to and dependent on the substance. In order to try to treat these people, it is necessary to study their characteristics and observe if there are points in common from which to work. In other words, it is very useful to establish a profile of the person with drug dependence.

What do we consider drug dependence?

It is understood as drug dependency to the situation in which an individual consumes of habitual form one or several substances of which he is not able to do without, being this consumption carried out in a compulsive way in order to maintain a state of well-being or to avoid the discomfort associated with withdrawal syndrome.

The subject in question has no control over the consumption, constantly desiring it and carrying it out despite the fact that he/she may want to and make various attempts to stop. The person in question spends a great deal of time and effort in obtaining the substance. This addiction generates various problems and diminishes the functioning of the person in a great majority of domains and vital areas.

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From occasional use to addiction

Dependence on a substance or drug involves a more or less lengthy process (depending on the substance, frequency of use, quantity and personality characteristics). The process begins with a sporadic consumption which, although it does not provoke the need to repeat itself or generate its absence anxiety, ends up reappearing and gradually becomes more habitual.

Over time, the body acquires a certain tolerance and it begins to be necessary to consume more quantity in periods less and less in periods less and less separated in time in order to obtain the same effects as at the beginning. Consumption goes from becoming occasional to abusive, becoming generalized to various situations even though it is not essential. Finally, as habituation increases, the subject needs more and more in less and less time, gradually losing control of consumption and even suffering adverse reactions in the absence of the drug.

The profile of the drug addict

Abusive consumption and drug dependence can be the result of a wide variety of situations and circumstances. establishing a typical profile of the drug-dependent individual can be complex..

However, through the analysis of representative samples of the population it is possible to establish a number of common characteristics. a series of common characteristics among people suffering from this type of addiction.

1. Most frequent addictive substances: Alcohol, cocaine and heroin

There is a Wide range of substances and drugs capable of producing dependence. The most frequent is alcohol, which, due to the social acceptance of its consumption in general and its popularity, tends to provoke almost half of the cases of dependence. almost half of all cases of substance dependence..

With respect to illegal drugs, cocaine is the substance to which most people are addicted (although the most consumed is cannabis, it does not usually generate dependence), followed by heroin and other substances.

2. Sex and age

The different studies carried out regarding the type of individuals who suffer from drug dependence reflect that there is a higher prevalence of substance addiction among men than among women. than among women.

The average age of drug addicts is currently between twenty and fifty years of age, with the onset of drug use frequently occurring during adolescence or early adulthood.

3. Marital status: generally single

With the exception of alcohol addiction, in which around 62% of cases have a partner, the most typical profile of the drug-dependent individual is that of a single person.. In cases where there is a partner, there are often marital problems and family problems, whether these are a cause or a consequence of the addiction.

4. Average socio-educational and occupational level

When people think of drug addicts, many tend to think of them as people with a low educational level, without work or studies and with few economic resources. However, although in some cases this image inherited from the 1980s is true, today a large number of drug addicts are individuals with at least a primary or secondary school education. have at least primary and secondary education, in many cases even higher education, and have a job or profession that allows them toThey have a job or profession that allows them to live relatively normally.

The exception, according to reports by Proyecto Hombre, can be found in individuals who are polydrug addicts and/or drug addicts. poly-drug addicts and/or heroin addicts.. Individuals addicted to heroin or to more than one substance tend to belong to more unstructured environments, having more family and social problems, as well as health problems. In many cases they have no education or employment.

5. Personality characteristics

With respect to the addicted person's way of being, their personality and way of perceiving and acting in the world, there is also a great divergence among addicts.There is also a great divergence between subjects. However, as a general rule, they tend to be people with difficulties in setting limits and with low tolerance to frustration. They usually have high levels of anxiety or frustration.

In many cases there are feelings of low self-esteem and an adverse self-image that they try to make up for through immediate gratification of needs and avoidance. Also the presence of emotional instability, relational dependencerelational dependence and low self-confidence. Sometimes they may have too high expectations, which they cannot reach, although in other cases the problem is the absence of aspirations due to vital inhibition.

In many cases the origin of the addictive process can be found in the attempt to be socially accepted, to overcome one's own limitations or to alleviate a situation of pain, isolation and poor adaptation to the context.

6. They may seek to fill feelings of emptiness or despair.

Addiction to a substance does not appear out of nowhere. Sporadic contact or consumption with a drug can provoke very different sensations that the user may consider pleasurable, but in many cases behind a continued consumption there may be an attempt to reduce anxiety and suffering.. The psychoactive substance is used in order to fill an internal void, experiencing sensations that help to avoid and distract from aversive and frustrating situations such as abandonment, family or social abuse or the existence of a disability or disorder.

In this way, the drug consumed takes on a role and meaning for the drug addict, being an important element in trying to maintain a certain mental wellbeing by at least temporarily replacing internal or external deficiencies and frustrations.

When treating drug addiction it will be necessary to identify and work on the meaning that the drug or the fact of taking drugs has for the individual, what it represents for him and what it allows him to do, feel or stop doing or feeling.

7. They live in a sociocultural context that promotes their consumption.

The sociocultural context is also an element to be taken into account when explaining drug addiction. In a society with a large number of social norms and impositions, some of them applied partially or unfairly, many subjects turn to the consumption of illegal substances as a sign of rebelliongenerating the social perception that consuming is positive. Living in this type of context in which consumption is valued positively and is seen as a sign of rebellion and liberation facilitates contact with the substance, directly or indirectly inducing frequent consumption.

It is important to bear in mind that the sociocultural context does not necessarily refer (although in some cases there is also a link) to the family environment, as many drug addicts often grow up in families with values that are opposed to drug use. Friendships, partners, work contacts or simply the knowledge that other people use drugs as a mechanism of escape, search for identity or protest. may be other triggers for contact and subsequent substance dependence. dependence.

Likewise, in cases where the addicted person decides to stop consumption, detoxification is much more complex if the stimuli and reinforcement received at the environmental and/or social level can be associated with the drug.