What makes some people become an addict?

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Addiction doesn't encroach on every life of every person, however, most people

know of at least one person either socially or in their own family that struggle with addiction of some kind. If you live in Orangeburg, SC and need help with addiction, see : William J. McCord Center for further help.

Common factors for addiction are listed here:

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. There is a debate however, that genes may not play as big of a role as formerly believed. It has been argued that while most addicts do report having family members that were addicts, it is the environmental conditioning that had the key role in the future addiction of the child of an addict. A child that has been exposed to addiction repeatedly may be more accepting of the behavior and thus partake themselves. This same argument has been presented for obesity in children, citing that the child's continuous exposure to bad eating habits and unhealthy foods resulted in a lifetime of obesity. Whenever children are exposed to any repeated behavior they are very likely to continue it in their own adulthood. This goes for children that grow up to become smokers as well. This would also explain why children that grow up in a home filled with violence, ie: father abuses mother, will sometimes grow up and mimic the behavior in their own lives.
Mental illness: Many addicted people also suffer from mental health disorders, especially anxiety, depression or mood illnesses.
Early use of drugs: The earlier a person begins to use drugs the more likely they are to progress to more serious abuse.
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.
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. There is a small percentage of addicts that do not fit into any of these molds, this addict may have just had a momentary lapse in judgement and decided to partake in a highly addictive drug. Drugs that are highly addictive have been known to cause addiction after just one use. These types of drugs are often considered the most damaging, lethal and hardest to overcome. For more information on addiction, see: The Addicted Family

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