Vulnerability to addiction differs from person to person. In general, the more risk factors an individual has, the greater the chance that taking prescription drugs or street drugs will lead to abuse and addiction. “Protective” factors reduce a person’s risk of developing addiction.
What factors determine if a person will become addicted?
No single factor determines whether a person will become addicted to drugs. The overall risk for addiction is impacted by the biological makeup of the individual – it can even be influenced by gender or ethnicity, his or her developmental stage, and the surrounding social environment (e.g., conditions at home, at school, and in the neighborhood).
Which biological factors increase risk of addiction?
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Tags: Prescription Drugs Addiction · Street Drugs
Research has shown that the key risk periods for drug abuse are during major transitions in childrens lives. The first big transition for children is when they leave the security of the family and enter school. Later, when they advance from elementary school to middle school, they often experience new academic and social situations, such as learning to get along with a wider group of peers. It is at this stage early adolescence that children are likely to encounter drugs for the first time.
When they enter high school, adolescents face additional social, emotional, and educational challenges. At the same time, they may be exposed to greater availability of drugs, drug abusers, and social activities involving street drugs. These challenges can increase the risk that they will abuse alcohol, tobacco, and other substances.
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Tags: Drug Abuse
Some signs of risk can be seen as early as infancy or early childhood, such as aggressive behavior, lack of self-control, or difficult temperament. As the child gets older, interactions with family, at school, and within the community can affect that child risk for later drug abuse.
Childrens earliest interactions occur in the family; sometimes family situations heighten a childs risk for later drug abuse, for example, when there is:
- a lack of attachment and nurturing by parents or caregivers;
- ineffective parenting; and
- a caregiver who abuses drugs.
But families can provide protection from later drug abuse when there is:
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Tags: Street Drugs