Risk Factors: Why Do Some People Become Addict?

There are many risk factors to consider when looking at which people are more likely to become addicted to drugs. There is no single factor that can predict if one will even become dependend. The more risk factors the individual has, the greater chance that taking drugs can lead to an addiction. One of the greatest risk factors is biology. Genes play a huge factor. They account for about 50% of one’s vulnerability to become addicted (“Why Do Some People Become Addicted While Others Do Not,” n.p.). In addition, ethnicity, gender, and the presence of other mental disorders can aslo influence the risk of becoming addicted or the potential of abusing drugs (“Why Do Some People Become Addicted While Others Do Not,” n.p.). Another one of the greatest risk factors is the

A person’s environment, at any given time, includes many different influences which range from friends and family to even socioeconomic status and quality of life in general. Many other factors like peer pressure, stress, sexual and/or physical abuse, and parenting quality can greatly affect the event of abuse and the escalation to addiction in a person’s life (“Why Do Some People Become Addicted While Others Do Not,” n.p.). One last major risk factor would be development. Many factors, including genetic and environmental factors, connect with critical stages in a person’s life that affect the vulnerability of becoming addicted (“Why Do Some People Become Addicted While Others Do Not,” n.p.). Although using drugs at any period can lead to addiction, the earlier the use begins, the more likely the user will become addicted (“Why Do Some People Become Addicted While Others Do Not,” n.p.). Adolescence may be especially vulnerable to risk-taking behaviors like trying drugs because the underdeveloped areas of their brains that govern self-control, decision making, and judgment (“Why Do Some People Become Addicted While Others Do Not,”