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Most people are aware of the dangers associated with addictions but the number of addicts is steadily growing. So, why do people still become addicted to dangerous substances?

Contents:

What causes addiction?

This is a question researchers have grappled with for some time. As yet there's no definitive answer and no one has discovered a singular cause.

Obviously, if people didn't drink alcohol, use drugs, gamble or indulge in other potentially destructive behaviors they wouldn't become addicted. However, there are some people who can indulge without falling into addiction.

How does addiction start?

People take drugs, for instance, because of their physical effects. They've a marked effect on the body and mind. If there were no effect, people would be unlikely to repeat the experience. No one sets out to become addicted.

Crucially, substances and certain behaviors change the way we feel. If they make us feel better, relax us, make us feel powerful, excite us, let us escape and so on, we tend to go back to them. However, in some people, those experiences uncover a powerful attraction. What can start out as casual experimentation, normal social behavior or even a doctor's prescription, can lead to repeating the behavior more frequently and with greater quantities. The more you do, the more likely you are to do more.

Shift to dependence

Following the psychological shift to dependence (can't do without), the brain's chemistry may start to adapt, demanding ever more of what it's grown used to and fiercely resisting the discomfort of withdrawal. The behavior takes on a self-perpetuating life of its own.

What makes some people more susceptible is perhaps a genetic pre-disposition. This theory, with some evidence now to support it, makes sense especially since addiction crosses social divides. However, this is still debatable.

What are the risk factors?

There are cultural and social factors that put people at greater risk. For instance, you're less likely to become alcohol dependent growing up in a country where alcohol consumption is unacceptable than where it's a normal part of everyday life. Growing up in a family where there's alcohol or drug abuse increases the risk. This is also the case for people who suffer childhood trauma, abuse and neglect.

People who don't receive adequate nurture as children or who are more emotionally sensitive may be more susceptible. These factors won't always lead to substance misuse or dependency or any other addictive behavior, but they can increase vulnerability.

continue: Take an Online Drug Addiction Screening Test?

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Reviewed: 03/2006