Substance use disorders (SUDs)<\/a> affected the lives of 20.3 million adults<\/a> in the United States in 2018, accounting for over 6% of all Americans. That same year, approximately 5.1 million young adults (ages 18 to 25) had a SUD. That\u2019s 1 in 7 or about 15% of young adults. An estimated 916,000, or 3.7%, of adolescents (ages 12 to 17) had a SUD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The question to consider is how do substance use disorders develop? The truth is that there are many stages of addiction, each with their own signs and symptoms to monitor in yourself and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to a survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, about 3 million<\/a> people (age 12+) used an illegal drug or abused a legal drug for the first time in 2018. The same survey showed that 4.9 million people<\/a> drank alcohol for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The initiation<\/a> stage generally happens during the teen years. In 2017, nearly 20%<\/a> of teens (ages 12-20) reported drinking over the past month. Many adolescents or teenagers try drugs or alcohol for reasons like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once someone has tried alcohol or drugs, they may move along to experimentation or they may stop once their curiosity has been satisfied. This depends on a few factors, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The experimentation stage begins when you start to use drugs or alcohol in specific situations, like teens in party atmospheres or adults in times of particular stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Substance use in this stage is a social behavior that you associate using with fun, \u2018unwinding\u2019, and a lack of consequences. You only think of substances every so often and there are no cravings. At this stage, substance use can be either controlled (i.e. you decide consciously to use with the risks in mind and you can stop if you want to) or impulsive (i.e. you use unpredictably and unexpected accidents or harm can come from substance use, but you do not use regularly, and you are not dependent).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if you consume a lot in a particular instance, the decision to use is made in the rational brain (i.e. you choose to use drugs or alcohol instead of being unconsciously ruled by an automatic response). You could even binge drink (i.e. a man having five or more drinks or a woman having four or more drinks within two hours) without straying outside of the experimentation stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At this point, substance use is more frequent for you. You may not use every day, but there may be a predictable pattern (using every weekend) or you may use under the same set of circumstances (when you\u2019re stressed, bored, lonely, etc.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n At this stage, you still probably use drugs or alcohol with other people, but you may begin to use it alone too. You may miss school and work due to hangovers. There may be worries about losing your drug source since substance use has become tied to the idea of escaping negative emotions or situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the name suggests, substance use at this point has begun to take a negative toll on your life. If you drive, you may do so under the influence. You may have gotten a DWI\/DUI or had other negative legal consequences. Your performance at work or school may be suffering, along with your relationships with others. You may have changed your circle of friends and your behavior has almost certainly changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In short, risky or problem use threatens your safety and the safety of others but may not meet the criteria for a substance use disorder.<\/p>\n\n\n\nArticle at a Glance: <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Stage 1: Initiation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Stage 2: Experimentation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Stage 3: Regular Use<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Stage 4: Problem\/Risky Use<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Stage 5: Dependence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n