For me personally low self esteem was not a reason for me to use, for me it’s about self medicating the pain and enjoying the high.
I know it’s almost taboo to say, but I really, really, really, really enjoyed getting and being high, and I think almost anyone who uses on a regular basis enjoys being high. There are just so many drugs to choose from to pick your high/feeling from its crazy, uppers, downers, pain killers, mood enhancers, psychedelics, ect. It’s so easy to change what and how you feel in the blink of an eye; in a society like ours of instant gratification I think low self esteem is not all that high on the list of reasons why people use but rather getting what you want when you want it no matter the consequences.