With the continued problem of drug and alcohol abuse more people are wondering exactly what causes addiction problems. This is a great question to ask and research when trying to prevent drug abuse in new users and is separate though related to the question of to how to treat addictions. There are two basic ways to approach the answer to this complicated question. One is based on the biological process of addiction and the other is various life circumstances that can either render one vulnerable to addiction or in fact bring it on.

It has been statistically demonstrated that children who are raised by one or more parents with an addiction problem are likely to develop it later in life. It is definitely a risk factor, though that does not mean that everyone who has an addict parent will themselves become one. Another risk potential is seen in individuals who experience a childhood trauma such as physical or sexual abuse and also adults who go through a major trauma and don’t receive proper treatment for it. This can lead to self-medication with whatever is available and this frequently means illegal drugs. Unchecked self-medication can lead to addiction. There are many demographic and psychological reasons a person can develop an addiction though none of them means conclusively that it will happen. The biological aspects of addiction are specific to the particular drug. One of the common risk factors for alcohol addiction is the scientifically accepted theory of an alcoholic gene that runs in families.

There are various theories related to the causes and contributing factors to drug abuse and addiction and the two fold educational approach is based on the previously stated factors. The biological process of addiction development and its interaction with life circumstance and behavioral factors is a complicated dynamic, though an important one to try and understand and educated the public on. In addition to this question is an introduction to a new type of drug addiction, which is psychotropic and other prescription medication abuse. As progress is made in treatment perspectives and addiction cause theories, new addiction potentials appear on the scene. This only reinforces the importance of education and social awareness.