Who Is Most Likely To Become An Addict?
Most people have heard the phrase “that would never happen to my kid,” or “that would never happen to my husband or wife,” uttered at some point in their life. As mentioned earlier, addiction does not discriminate. It knows no age, race or social status.
The truth is that alcohol and drug abuse can happen to anyone and at any age. But there are some people who are more vulnerable to falling into addiction than others.
• Children of alcoholic parents are three to four times more likely to become alcoholics than children whose parents do not drink.
• Children who start drinking before the age of 15 have a higher likelihood that they could become alcoholics than children who start drinking after the age of 15.
• The earlier you have your first drink, the higher likelihood that you will develop alcoholism.
• Children who have an older brother or sister who drink or take drugs have a higher likelihood of becoming addicted themselves.
• People who have low self-esteem or want to escape their problems have a greater risk of becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol.
• People who are known to “hold their liquor well” have a greater chance of becoming alcoholics.
It is interesting to note that research from a 1996 study of adoptive children and their adoptive parents and children with their biological parents showed that genetics do carry some weight in whether a person becomes an alcoholic. This gives some credence to the idea that some people are pre-disposed to becoming alcoholics.
This study showed that adoptive children who had alcoholic parents had fewer instances of becoming alcoholics themselves than children who lived with their biological parents who were alcoholics. When further research was done connecting the adoptive child to their biological parents, the connection of higher instances of alcoholism when a parent was an alcoholic could be seen.
While that is startling news, it doesn’t mean that just because you have a parent who is an alcoholic that you’ll become an alcoholic. Education on how alcoholism or drug addiction starts and how you can prevent it from happening to you goes a long way in preventing alcoholism.
Self-esteem plays an enormous role in addiction. People who come from loving and stable homes can still suffer from depression and low self-esteem, making them more vulnerable to becoming addicted to drugs or alcohol. Because of this, teen depression should never be considered “just normal” based on a child’s age. Depression is not normal. And while many teens become depressed as a normal course of growing into adulthood and finding themselves, it should never be taken lightly. Any experimentation with drugs or alcohol during the teen years, coupled with depression, can lead to future addiction if left alone.
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