I remember someone wrote something on these lines but forget who. A basic problem people have revolve around them feeling if they are in control of their own environment or not. If a person feels they are not in control of their own environment they have five basic avenues.
1. They become suicidal.
2. They go insane.
3. They use drugs.
4. They turn to religion.
5. They get control of their own environment.
1 and 2 have been proven by putting someone in solitary confinement for too long. This strips them completely from any kind of control of their own environment. This feeling can be felt in many ways as one struggles to fit in to a society and they feel they are failing.
There are many reasons a person may fall into drug use. It still boils down to coping with not being in control of your own environment. Your body is your castle what you put in it should be up to you. Needing drugs to make you function is a form of not being in control because you are not functioning normally without drugs. Eating and drinking is not enough. Many drugs are addicting and can lead to drug abuse.
Drug abuse can start for young adults as peer pressure to fit into a social network. Young adults are particularly vulnerable because they are at a time in their lives where they feel they have least control over their own environment. They are under parental control, forced to go to school, and are trying to fit into social networks while under the pressure of preparing for adult life.
Drug abuse can be a way to ease a person’s pain of not being in control of their own environment. Drugs can even alter their perception of how they are dealing in the control of their own environment. Drug abuse is a catch 22 the more of a drug you use the more of the drug you will need to use which makes you less and less in control of your own environment which may lead to 1 and 2.
4 is religion which was basically created because early human beings did not understand the environment they were living in. In order to feel in control of what was perceived to be supernatural events a supernatural father or mother figure was created in the form of Gods. It was soon found power can be gained to those who were able to explain environmental events and social events through the use of a God. Having a supernatural parent figure helping you stay in control of your own environment is an alteration of reality. This alteration of reality is further heightened by the belief a supernatural being has a perfect environment set up for you when your personal environment ends.
No matter how it is cut religion is an alteration of reality to help cope with not being in control of your own environment. This is why a person in prison or using drugs can be easily switched to religion. It is why no atheists lie in their own death beds.
5 is simple it is when you realize you are in control of your own actions. This only works when you actually are. Being in control of your own environment is rare. Living in a social network it is a façade at its best.
