Boredom

Many people cannot find meaningful activities that they can happily occupy themselves with. Boredom and idleness may lead them to drug and inhalant abuse.

Curiosity

Youngsters are usually very curious and are eager to seek new experiences. They like to know the facts, fashion, tastes, habits, and lifestyles of their peers. The adolescent does not want to be a misfit among his friends. This may cause him to venture into the unknown and try drugs and inhalants.

Peer Group Influence

The influence of youngsters on others of their age group is especially powerful and affects the way they feel, dress and behave. There is a strong desire among youngsters to want to be accepted by their friends and feel as part of the crowd or gang. The influence of people on each other can help them do useful and healthy things. But negative peer influence may lead a youngster to anti-social behaviour like getting involved in drug and inhalant abuse.

Experimentation

Teenagers like to take risks and experiment with new things. They want first hand experience of everything. They tend not to accept the views of others and usually set out to form their own views and judgment of things, books, clothes, people and activities. They may first experiment with drugs and inhalants just for ‘kicks’.

Social Stress / Pressure

Young people who are unable to cope with the rapid pace of life in a fast changing society may find life stressful. They may then resort to drug and inhalant abuse to escape from reality.

Problem at School

Young abusers are usually those who stop schooling at an early age or perform poorly in school. They may turn to drugs and inhalants to escape from the feelings of frustration and hopelessness caused by their failure in school.

Lack of Direction

Having no goal or ambition in life, they tend to move around with friends and peer groups aimlessly. Their lack of direction makes them highly prone to being lured into abusing drugs. This is even more so if they are weak-willed.

Other possible reasons include:

• Desire for fun
• Search for social acceptance
• Escape from harsh reality
• Mistaken belief that occasional abuse will not lead to addiction.

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