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Risk of Drug Abuse


Much like any other disease, certain factors can make a person more vulnerable to drug abuse and addiction than others. The risk factors of drug abuse involve:

  • A family history of abuse or addiction
  • Childhood traumas such as neglect or abuse
  • Personality factors play an important role in determining whether you will eventually get addicted to the drugs you use. The curious, the pleasure seeking, the instantly gratified, the stubborn, the anxious, the aggressive, people with low self-esteem, and a lack of confidence are all personality traits that can make a person more susceptible to drug use.
  • If you start using drugs at an early age, it is more likely to escalate into a full-blown addiction
  • Drugs that are injected or smoked are more addictive than others
  • Peer pressure, which is connected with the need for approval and acceptance
  • Easy access to drugs
  • Depression and loneliness are the key reasons why people use to drugs as a form of escape.
  • According to statistics, other risk factors for drug abuse include the presence of psychological and personality disorders, age (drug abuse is highest in people between 18 and 29 years of age), and lower socioeconomic status. Men are also more likely to develop a chemical dependency on drugs than women.

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References
  1. Usha Sambamoorthi, Lynn A. Warner, Stephen Crystal, James Walkup, Drug abuse, methadone treatment, and health services use among injection drug users with AIDS, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Volume 60, Issue 1, 1 July 2000, Pages 77-89, ISSN 0376-8716, 10.1016/S0376-8716(00)80010-1.(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376871600800101)
  2. Allison C Morrill, Linda Kasten, Matthew Urato, Mary Jo Larson, Abuse, addiction, and depression as pathways to sexual risk in women and men with a history of substance abuse, Journal of Substance Abuse, Volume 13, Issues 1–2, September 2001, Pages 169-184, ISSN 0899-3289, 10.1016/S0899-3289(01)00065-7.(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0899328901000657)