Addiction is a disease. By definition, it is a chronic disease of the brain that affects the systems of your brain including reward and memory. When there is a dysfunction in these systems, certain behavioral pathologies and outcomes arise such as substance use and abuse. Similar to most any disease, some factors put some people at a higher risk of being addicts than others.
Risk Factors For Addiction
There are number of different types of addiction. Drugs, alcohol, gambling, and pornography, to name a few. Approximately 60% of Americans will try at least one form of drugs during their lifetime, while continuing to use throughout life is something that 32% will experience.
Some of the risk factors that can lead to addiction include:
- Genetics
- Brain characteristics and circuitry
- Psychological factors like stress, impulsivity, depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and a multitude of other psychiatric disorders
- Environmental damages including various forms of abuse, like sexual, physical or emotional trauma
- Exposure at a young age to drug or alcohol use by influencers like parents
Not every one of these factors is a guarantee that one will struggle with addiction, but the existence of any one of these factors does increase the chances that an individual may experience addictive behaviors. When more of these factors are combined, those risks increase significantly. A study done in 2013 showed that over 24 million Americans above the age of 12 has used an illicit drug. This accounts for 9.4% of the population, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. These numbers reflect an increase since the year 2002.
Genetics
Psychological and environmental factors show in studies to be the most powerful influencing an individual to try drugs or alcohol. These two factors are also significant in their impact on an individual to continue to engage in destructive use of and abuse of substances. However, studies are showing that the role genetics play may be the most powerful in terms of taking use or abuse of a substance into a full-on addiction.
The reality is, however, that no one is immune from the dangers of drug and alcohol addiction. Some drugs are known to be highly addictive and can hook almost anyone who tries them, take nicotine or heroin for instance. Some can try a substance and then be able to walk away and abstain from it after. However, when used on a regular and consistent basis, this ability to avoid continued use becomes much harder.
Drug And Alcohol Alternative Treatment Centers In Tennessee
If you or a loved one is having difficulty stopping their use of drugs or alcohol, intervention and treatment can be a valuable option to help them overcome their struggles. Discovery Place in the scenic and soothing rolling hills of Tennessee offers a medical detox and addiction alternative treatment center. Our programs will help you safely begin to recover from your addiction.
Discovery Place’s Tennessee addiction alternative treatment center has a compassionate team of professionals that care about your best outcome. We are here for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call our Tennessee detox alternative treatment center at 1-800-725-0922.
