People start taking substances I believe as an escape from their lives, that can be from a homeless person who wants to forget they have nowhere to sleep that night, all the way through to a millionaire who isn't happy they've only got 6 bedrooms in their mansion. I think most people start taking substances due to being unhappy, and as a way to enrich their happy lifestyle, if your happy with your lot, then why would you take drugs? People will take and abuse any substance, it doesn't have to be the 'usual' drugs, from sniffing gas and smoking marijuana to snorting coke and injecting heroin.
It's possible I guess. I've seen several studies to show that many drugs and depression are linked, nothing to say that the depression came first though. It's quite possible that drugs can cause the depression though. Assuming they ruin lives like we believe they do, why wouldn't they cause depression?
Some people also start misusing substances due to peer pressure or to gain attention and become popular. Some people may see their friends going down that route, see them hanging out with other people who do the same and may be influenced to join in, in order to fit in with the group. Others may just have too much money and not enough responsibility for themselves. Others just don't care. There are multiple reasons why someone may start misusing substances.
People take drugs for various reasons but i believe there's no justifiable reason as to why someone would want to destroy their lives with drugs. No matter what you're going through, drugs are not the solution as they will only worsen your situation.
People do drugs for all kinds of reasons. Different stimuli provoke individuals to resort to snorting drugs and lose control over themselves. Regardless of the reason, having the right people behind you is more important. It's also important to have that innate ability - the courage - to be able to fight your own demons. This will help one get up even though something's forcing you to fall over.
There is a lot to be said about depression and substance abuse because people want to escape the horrible feeling inside of them. Some drugs can actually make depression worse though. Others take on substance abuse, because they want to feel accepted, and be a part of a group, even though that group is a bad one. Everybody has their own reasons for getting hooked on drugs or alcohol.
Some people also take drugs to "look cool" and start being part of a group. Or because they don't have what to do with the money. There are all kinds of reasons, and they vary from person to person. There's no thing such an universal reason for doing so.
Most is Peer Pressure. Some is because it's ready and available you don't have to pay for it. Some of it is to escape life if only for a bit, running from your problems instead of facing them. Or you could have been like me and been a recreational user for fun and stimulate experiences beyond the normal feelings of mankind. I never used them to "Cope" or "Deal" and friends didn't force me to try them. I tried them because I wanted to form a reasoning as to why these campaigns are in place, why do people boycott these, why is there a war on them. It's ignorance to assume you can be ANTIDRUG without first trying what you're hating or you're just a belligerent fool.
There's also the simple reason of "it feels good." Recreational Marijuana use is extremely popular and socially accepted due to the relative safety of the drug. If other drugs didn't carry the risk of addiction or overdose, they'd be the same. Some people ignore the stigma, try something hard like meth or cocaine, say "hey this isn't so bad, maybe I'll try it again sometime..." and then it begins. They don't know what they're in for
The "maybe I'll try it again sometime" is a very true stick, but very rarely does that lead to addiction unless you have the money and/or means to acquire said drugs. But I see where you're coming from @RobertBlat I was the recreational type. I did it because of ease of safety and I liked the feeling it gave me - making everything interesting. I can't feel that way on any other type of drug and trust me, I tried. Not to be proud of it by any stretch, but a smooth marijuana high is unlike any other. It mellows you out, focuses you up, and I don't care what people says it does not make you dumb. I had a 3.5 GPA in school smoking it, and some friends of mine who are heavy users are professors at a college. So in no way does it make you 'stupid' either, like some people wonder. However at your last sentence, "They don't know what they're in for" only applies if they have a weak will too. If they do, they will find out. If they don't and are strong willed, they could be like me leapfrogging from substance to substance trying to find something to do something to us.
Yes, that's one of the reasons why people resort to drug/alcohol abuse. It's their coping mechanism, their only escape. Sometimes though, people do drugs and drink alcohol because of peer pressure and due to the influence of others. I guess the best thing to deal with these issues is try to find other activities/hobbies that will take your minds off using these substances.
I guess it's the thrill they're after. Or possibly the adrenaline rush they get by doing something illegal. Either way, it's a way to diversify their lives void of challenges and new obstacles to surmount. Of course, this naturally leads to their inevitable downfall. Most of the time the people aren't even aware of this until it's too late.