Generally speaking, a person chooses to take drugs or alcohol as a solution to a problem they are experiencing. Their problem may be that they are struggling at school, they feel unhappy at work, they feel shy, lonely or even bored. Any of these feelings and many others can lead a person to choose substance use as an escape from their problems. There are individuals who develop substance abuse problems due to existing medical conditions. These individuals are prescribed extremely addictive medications by their doctors and eventually choose to take the prescription in a different amount or method than dictated by their physician. While the user continues to abuse their drug of choice, the substance itself begins to become one of the drug user’s problems; this is in addition to the original issue they were struggling with before their drug use began. As addiction to the drug or alcohol takes hold, the user will continue to use the substance despite the fact that it is harming their body and mind. When it comes to a person having a drug problem, there was always a problem in their life BEFORE the started using drugs or alcohol. And, there is almost always a solution available to the user without the use of drugs or alcohol; if they are only able to stop getting high and address their underlying issue.