Posts Tagged causes of drug abuse

Poverty, Loss of Hope and Drug Abuse

Posted by Drug Free in Other Addictions on January 6th, 2010

Given the state of affairs of the world today, everyone is doing their part in cutting back their costs. Those with lavish lifestyles are forced to tighten their belts at least a notch, since the global economic crisis has made life a bit more difficult. The situation is felt harder by people in the middle class and lower class, who live their lives from paycheck to paycheck – for those still with jobs, at least. When all hope for financial security seems lost, some people could turn to drugs for the solution, desiring to escape reality if only for a brief moment.

hopelessness may lead to drug abuseWith life becoming increasingly harder by the day, you can’t really blame some people for turning to drugs. The rate of unemployment has become depressing over the past few years, where people experience being out of job for a period longer than they initially expected. In despair, some people choose to do drugs. The sad reality about this situation is that it may even be harder to get out of this trap.

It would be easy to preach that people should work harder instead of wasting their lives away on drugs, but actually doing this may not be as easy. The best way to fight against this trap is to give them hope for life, to give them another reason to live their lives more meaningfully again.

While poverty does not necessarily lead to drug abuse, the sense of hopelessness that the former brings is a powerful and compelling force to deal with, and this is not something that everyone can readily face. Understanding this fact is key to overcoming this challenge.

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Depression and Drug Abuse: My Story

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Addiction on January 5th, 2010

I used to be someone who could never see the silver lining in every cloud. While I was living a rather easy life, I could not help but feel a sense of emptiness. I felt that something was missing in my life. Compared to my friends, I had relatively less problems than they had – my family is okay, my financial status is stable, and my work is more than enough to keep me on my toes during the day. Despite these, I never felt satisfied with my life. I then slowly sank into depression, thinking that there was nothing in my life that could fill the gaping chasm in my heart.

depressionAs time went on, I met different people from all walks of life. In my line of work, I meet poor people, sexually abused women, and drug addicts. And as my depression intensified, I felt vaguely tempted to try drugs, hoping that these would allow me to escape from the melancholy of my personal reality.

So I went with some acquaintances and had some fun one night. Then they started passing drugs around. When they started to get closer to me, I felt a sense of unease; it didn’t feel at all right to be there. I didn’t want to waste my life dependent on the drug. I wanted to live my life as freely as I possibly could without fear or shame for my own identity.

I politely refused the offer and left midway through the party. I figured that it was better for me to live my life by my own terms, and I found it hard to see drugs as a concrete and lasting answer to my plight. Since then, I’ve tried to live and be happy with my own life, and face my own problems with dignity and pride.

I haven’t turned back since.

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Thank you to one of my dearest friends, who wish not to be named in this post, for sharing his story. Should you want to share your story too and allow others to learn from your experience, just drop us a comment.

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