What characteristics does an addicted person have?
The consumption of psychoactive substances is a phenomenon present in society. But the profile of a dependent person is that of an individual who uses drugs habitually. And this person ends up developing an addiction and dependence on the substance.
Drug dependence can be the result of a wide variety of situations and circumstances. Establishing a profile of a dependent person can be complex.
Common Characteristics Among Dependent Persons
These have been extracted through the analysis of representative samples of the population.
- Sex and age: there is a higher prevalence of substance addiction among men than among women. The average age is currently between 20 and 50 years. Therefore, the onset of consumption frequently occurs during adolescence or early adulthood.
- Most common addictive substances: the most frequent is alcohol, although the social acceptance of its consumption tends to cause almost half of the cases of substance dependence. Regarding illegal drugs, cocaine heads the list followed by heroin.
- Average socio-educational and employment level: today a large number of individuals addicted to some drug have at least primary and secondary education, in many cases even higher education. They have a job or profession that allows them to live with relative normality.
- Marital status: with the exception of alcohol addiction, in which approximately 62% of cases have a partner, the profile of a dependent person is that of a single person. Because, if such a partner exists, there are usually marital and family problems.
- Behind the consumption: behind continued consumption there may be an attempt to reduce anxiety and suffering. The drug is used in order to fill an internal void and the substance takes on a role and meaning for the drug-dependent person. In this way, it becomes an important element for maintaining a certain mental well-being. And it compensates for internal or external deficiencies and frustrations.
- Personality: there is great divergence among subjects. However, as a general rule they tend to be individuals with difficulties establishing limits and with low tolerance for frustration. There are feelings of low self-esteem and the presence of emotional instability, rational dependence and little self-confidence is frequent.
- Sociocultural context: many subjects turn to the consumption of illegal substances as a show of rebellion. Living with these contexts that promote consumption facilitates contact with the substance, directly or indirectly inducing frequent consumption.
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