Risk factors for drug abuse are those which increase the chances of drug abuse. A person may get addicted to drug abuse if the risk factors around them are high. Almost all of us are exposed to the household drugs and legal drugs but most of the times; it is our choice not to fall prey to these drugs. However, while one risk factor may tremendously affect one person but it does not have the same influence on everyone. Some of the risk factors which may lead to drug addiction are mentioned below:
Family history: In some families, it is more common to see drug addict because genetic composition affects the way people get addicted. If you have drug addicts in blood relations, like parents or siblings, you might develop drug addiction. In addition, early exposure to drugs in families is also responsible for drug addiction in rest of the members.
Males are more likely to become addicts: It is more common with males to become addicted to drugs than females. However, addictive disorders progress faster in women than men.
Other mental disorders: If you are already a patient of any other mental disorder like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, you have more chances of developing addiction to drugs.
Peer pressure: It is a major factor in beginning the use of drugs, which later leads to its abuse. Particularly, youngsters fall in the trap of addiction in the company of wrong people.
No involvement of family: If you lack bonding with your family, or have faced difficult situation in family, you are at a greater risk of getting addicted to drugs. Also, if parents do not supervise their children at adolescent age, they may get mislead by their friends.
Loneliness, anxiety or depression: If one faces difficult situations like depression, anxiety, etc; they may use drugs to cope with life which makes these situations even worse.
Consuming addictive drugs: Some over the counter drugs, like painkillers, cold pills or stimulants, may develop even faster addiction in people than other illegal drugs. These light drugs do not take much time to lead people to highly addictive drugs.
Drug dependence
We are always exposed to drugs around us, which we do not realize that may make us addict. We may not even understand when we become dependent on these household drugs. A person may be called dependent on drugs when he cannot function normally without them. Some of the common symptoms of drug dependency are:
Failure to fulfill obligations: An addict is not able to fulfill major obligations of his life without drugs. His performance at work goes poorer and he also remains missing from work.
Consuming drugs in hazardous situations: The addicted person may also abuse drugs in situations which are physically dangerous. For instance, he may not even hesitate to abuse drugs while driving, or operating heavy machinery.
Ignore social life: It does not matter to the affected person that his social life is getting worse because of his addictions. He may indulge into arguments and violent fights with people around him and still not realize the problem.
Failure to control drug abuse: Sometimes, the drug dependent person realizes his problem but is not able to cure it. At such times, he may need support from his friends and family.
US Rehab Network is dedicated to providing the best treatment options for patients nationwide. We only work with the top drug and alcohol and behavioral rehab centers nationwide. Call us today!
