Do people abuse drugs because they want to or because they need to?

The use of drugs in society range from the occasional use of soft drugs, such as nicotine and alcohol, all the way to the frequent use of hard drugs such as crack cocaine and heroine. An important area of psychological concern deals with the question as to which point does the use of soft drugs, turn into the use of the hard drugs, which have a considerably more drastic, immediate, affect. Another important area to be considered is at which point the occasional use of drugs turns into frequent use, and if this change in usage is an outcome of choice, or a physiological need created within the individual….(short extract)