Test Your Knowledge

The causes of drug abuse are complicated and differ among individuals. Factors that place people at greater risk of drug abuse include:

• Genetics. People with family members that abuse drugs are more likely to abuse drugs.
  
  
• Mental health problems. Substance abuse is particularly common among people with mental health problems, such as anxiety or depression. In a 2004 survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 21.3 percent (4.6 million) of people experiencing serious psychological distress due to a mental health problem abused drugs or alcohol. The rate of abuse among adults not experiencing such distress was 7.9 percent.
  
  
• Being unemployed. In the SAMHSA survey, 19.2 percent of unemployed adults aged 18 or older used illegal drugs compared with 8 percent of people employed full-time and 10.3 percent of those employed part-time. It is not known whether unemployment causes drug abuse or whether people become unemployed due to drug abuse. Research also shows that job-related stress may increase a person’s risk of abusing drugs.
  
  
• Age. Groups reporting the highest percentage of drug abuse in the SAMHSA survey were 18- to 20-year-olds (21.7 percent), 21- to 25-year-olds (17.9 percent) and 16- and 17-year-olds (17.3 percent).
  
  
• Type of drug. Some drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, have highly addictive properties. The use of these drugs may quickly result in addiction.

Children have a special set of risk factors for drug abuse. They include:

• A chaotic home environment. Children who live in homes with a parent who abuses drugs or alcohol are at greater risk of abusing these substances.
  
  
• Poor or ineffective parenting. Children who are not well nurtured and have poor relationships with parents are more likely to use drugs.
  
  
• Poor social and coping skills.
  
  
• Poor school performance.
  
  
• Inappropriately shy or aggressive behavior.
  
  
• Associating with a deviant peer group.
  
  
• The perception that parents, teachers or other adults approve of drug abuse.

Recent research also suggests that teenage girls who mature earlier than their peers and have a boyfriend who is at least two years older than them are more likely to engage in drug use.