Why Do People Use Drugs

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People can use a substance for more than one of the above reasons, and may also use several drugs, or different combinations, for different reasons.

Untangling why a person uses drug is rarely an easy task, but most people use a drug because they enjoy the effects, or feel the effects help them cope with issues in their life. This may seem like a simplistic or insensitive statement, but it's easily forgotten by the people around the drug user, who are concerned for their wellbeing.

Worried parents often ask for tell-tale signs of drug use, but the simple answer is that it's very hard to spot. Many users who have contact with mental health services manage to conceal their use from mental health professionals, so it's obviously difficult to identify.

Parents usually know their children better than anyone else, and maintaining an open atmosphere in which communication is kept up is often the best way to find out what's going on.

This is not always easy with teenagers, who are often secretive as they discover how they can control aspects of their own life and activities, as they might view the methods parents use to find out if they are using drugs as intrusive and controlling. And angry confrontations with teenagers might push them further into a cycle of resentment and refusal to communicate.


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The Have I Got A Problem website is a free online resource to help people better understand any issues or concerns they may have about mental health or addiction. The website includes resources specifically focused to; general Mental Health, Depression, Stress, Anxiety, Insecurities, Self-harm Schizophrenia, Bipolar, Anger Management, Eating Disorders, Coping, general Addiction, Alcohol, Smoking, Gambling, Drugs, Cocaine, Heroin, Marijuana (Cannabis) Ecstasy, PCP, Mephedrone, Ketamine & Crystal Meth.

The site was created to give the public information to help them understand mental health and addiction issues and to assist people in making better informed decisions about their life and personal choices.

www.haveigotaproblem.com was created and is run by 'Advising Communities’, which is a UK registered charity (Charity No. 1061055)

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