Risk factors

• Genetics and your biology: People can react to drugs differently. Some people like the feeling the first time they try a drug and want more. Others hate how it feels and never try it again.
• Mental health problems: People who have untreated mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to become addicted.
• Environmental factors
  • Trouble at home: If your home is an unhappy place or was when you were growing up, you might be more likely to have a drug problem.
  • Trouble in school, at work, or with making friends: You might use drugs to get your mind off these problems.
• Social factors
  • Hanging around other people who use drugs: They might encourage you to try drugs.
• Starting drug use when you’re young: When kids use drugs, it affects how their bodies and brains finish growing. This increases your chances of becoming addicted when you’re an adult.

Source- Medline Plus

To learn about protective factors, click here.

Signs that someone is using substances

• Changing friends a lot
• Spending a lot of time alone
• Losing interest in favorite things
• Not taking care of themselves – for example, not taking showers, changing clothes, or brushing their teeth
• Being very energetic, talking fast, or saying things that don’t make sense
• Quickly changing between feeling bad and feeling good
• Having different eating or sleeping habits
• Missing important appointments
• Having problems at work or at school
• Having problems in personal or family relationships

Source- Medline Plus