Why do some people become addicted?

Those most likely to get addicted are the ones who also have other problems. Forty percent of people who start drinking before they are 15 years old develop alcoholism

For years now, addictions professionals have been working hard to identify the risk factors, both biological and environmental, that can lead to addiction to alcohol and other drugs. These factors form a complex system in which their influences combine to bring about addiction and to make its treatment challenging. But today, we know more about addiction  than they did even 10  to 20 years ago, and have learned much about how the risk factors work together.

The widely recognized risk factors include:

Early use of drugs. The earlier a person begins to use drugs, the more likely they are to progress to more serious abuse.

Childhood trauma. Scientists know that abuse or neglect of children, persistent conflict in the family, sexual abuse and other traumatic childhood experiences can shape a child’s brain chemistry and subsequent vulnerability to addiction.

Genes. Genetics play a significant role: having parents with alcoholism, for instance, makes you four times more likely than other children to become alcoholics. More than 60 percent of alcoholics have family histories of alcoholism.

Social environment. People who live, work or go to school in an environment in which the use of alcohol and other drugs is common – such as a workplace in which people see heavy drinking as an important way to bond with coworkers – are more likely to abuse drugs.

Mental illness. Many addicted people also suffer from mental health disorders, especially anxiety, depression or mood illnesses.

Those most likely to get addicted are the ones who also have other problems. Forty percent of people who start drinking before they are 15 years old develop alcoholism. Addiction is at the end of a spectrum of substance use problems; for most people, though not all, addiction arrives after other phases of drinking or drugging go uninterrupted. Therefore, it is very important to treat substance use problems in their earliest stages. Although genetic researchers are trying to identify the genes that confer vulnerability to alcoholism, this task is difficult because the illness is thought to be related to many different genes, each of which contributes only a portion of the vulnerability.

Stress and Addiction

Studies also show that stress and addiction are so closely intertwined that for recover to be possible, people with addictions must learn new ways of coping with stress.

Co-occurring Disorders

A significant portion of people with addictions also suffer from other mental health illnesses, called co-occurring disorders. Without comprehensive treatment, people with co-occurring disorders are far less likely to recover from their addictions.

For more information, feel free to contact us at 32-2315229 or 32-2331881. Or visit us at the Recovery House, Sanson Road Extension, Lahug for a free assessment.