Psychology of Drug Abuse

The history of drug abuse is as long as history. While all drugs are being abused, this paper has attempted only to elucidate some of the psychological reasons why the western adolescent might be attracted to excessive drug use or experimentation. There has grown in the past 8 years a great interest in drugs which produce an altered state of consciousness. It is the opinion of this writer that the adolescent years may be the worst years to experiment with the strong hallucinogens like LSD, mescaline, or psilocybin. The adolescent is already under enormous pressure, both from within and without, and any drug which further loosens ego defenses may produce flooding with little opportunity for integration. Early drug experimentation is usually haphazard and involves numerous drugs at the same time. There is some evidence that different individuals may eventually become dependent on a drug or a combination of drugs which particularly suits individual psychological needs