Adverse effects of new psychoactive drug use. Psychological insights of addiction

Daniela Madalina Ciucă-Anghel, Miriana Stan, Elena Elisabeta Anghel, Denisa Bălălău, Ioana Paunica, Anca Silvia Dumitriu, Stana Paunica, Daniela Luiza Baconi

Abstract


Background. When it comes to addicts, the main goal is to solve their addiction, but the real challenge is to understand the patient along with identifying those specific trigger factors that lead to the addictive behavior inset and outlining a pattern for it. Although the current information on drugs is accessible to almost everyone, young people continue to use them, and the national trend is on the rise.


Objectives. The present research includes aim to highlight the main side effects experienced in the past by addict patients, currently undergoing methadone substitution treatment at the C.E.T.T.T. St. Stelian in Bucharest. Based mostly on Adlerian concepts, the study aims to outline the possible triggers that determine certain social behaviors, for example, prone to various addictions.


Methods. To characterize the study group from a psychological point of view, the methods of qualitative research interview and observation and survey were applied. The possible triggers of addictive behavior were highlighted by comparison with a group of non-drug users who voluntarily participated in the study.


Results. The results obtained from the total of 40 subjects included in the study (20 addicts and 20 non-drug users) outlined significant correlations between drug use and the level of education, the sex of the patients, and the degree of awareness of health problems arising from drug use. Drug addicts also identified addiction as a lifeline to their problems. Violence and a history of an unhappy childhood could also lead to addictive behavior. The connection between place and motive for drug use was also outlined. In some cases, concepts such as inferiority complex, sense of social community or social interest, and self-esteem and compensation have been outlined.


Conclusion. Combining toxicology and psychology the anonymous interview/survey used on a wider scale in both detoxification centers and as well as in schools could provide clues on possible prone to various addictions. The research could be therefore useful for the early detection of possible addiction tendencies.


Keywords


Addiction; Adler; Behavior; Clinical Psychology; Heroin; NPS; Side effects.

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.13129/2282-1619/mjcp-3572

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