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Most people who experiment with drugs and alcohol have no intention of becoming addicted. There is no one reason why people become addicted to drugs so predicting addiction is very difficult. Studies have shown that there are three key factors that influence drug addiction.
1.) Your social environment: Let’s face it, if you aren’t hanging around with people doing drugs then you are less likely to have access to drugs. Furthermore, people who do not do drugs are not very tolerant of those who are using. Environment also includes family life. People who have parents abusing drugs will learn from birth that doing drugs is acceptable. Indeed, it is quite difficult to uphold the negative stigma of drugs if your own family who you love is doing the same drugs.
2.) Biological makeup- Many things are hereditary and drug addiction could be another prime example. It is often difficult to distinguish if drug abuse is genetic or habitually learned if a child openly observes his parents doing drugs. However, there is strong evidence that predisposition to drug and alcohol addiction is genetic in nature.
3,) Age of exposure- Studies have shown that people who experiment with drugs at a young age are more likely to become addicted. As the brain is still forming, it is learning patterns and behaviors. An unfortunate consequence of using while the brain is still forming is that the brain can incorporate the act as a norm for the developing body.
