Drug Addiction: Causes and Effects

A drug addiction can be caused by many things, but certain factors can affect the likelihood and speed of developing an addiction. For example:

Family history of addiction. Drug addiction is more common in some families and likely involves genetic predisposition.

Mental health disorder. If you have a mental health disorder such as depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or post-traumatic stress disorder, you're more likely to become addicted to drugs. Using drugs can be a way of coping with painful feelings.

Peer pressure. Peer pressure is a strong factor in starting to use and misuse drugs, particularly for young people.

Lack of family involvement. Difficult family situations or lack of a bond with your parents or siblings may increase the risk of addiction, as can a lack of parental supervision.

Early use. Using drugs at an early age can cause changes in the developing brain and increase the likelihood of progressing to drug addiction.

Taking a highly addictive drug. Some drugs, such as stimulants, cocaine or opioid painkillers, may result in faster development of addiction than other drugs.

What are the most addictive drugs?

We all know that drugs are dangerous and highly addictive… yet not many people know that things other than drugs can be addictive/ more addictive than common drugs. Some of the most highly addictive “non” drugs are cigarettes, caffeine and alcohol. There are also very addictive drugs that you literally can overdose and die from such as methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin.