Drug addiction does not discriminate based on class, gender or age. It can be found in every demographic and can strike individuals from any social or cultural group. But can similarities be found between drug addicts? Is there any way to qualify the factors that lead a person to succumb to drug addiction? While the quanitfying of addiction’s contributing factors is not an exact science, medical research would suggest that there are common, observable factors that increase a person’s likelihood of becoming addicted to drugs.

The most frequently observed contributors to drug addiction are a person’s environmental factors and genetics. When a person’s support system tolerates or encourages drug use, they are more likely to become addicted at some point in their life, and genetic predipositions to drug addiction have regularly been observed, especially in the case of drug abuse being multigenerational.

More often than not, when a person is succeptible to drug addiction, they have other psychological disorders as well, such as Attention Deficit Disorder, depression or anxiety, and the drug use becomes a way of self medicating. The point in an addict’s life when they discover the drug plays a part in their addiction, as certain life phases are more prone to addiction than others.

Other factors that influence an addict’s struggle with drug abuse may be gender (men are twice as likely as women to become addicted to drugs), peer pressure to try any number of substances, and absent family members who provide weak support and guidance.

Drug addiction treatment centers are available to individuals who feel they may need drug rehabilitation, and it is highly recommended that anyone who feels they may have a drug addiction to reach out for help.