Prevention
While there's no single root cause of addiction, experts know that a combination of factors raises someone's risk. These include access to addictive substances/behaviors, a family history of addiction, stressful or traumatic life events and psychological makeup, such as low self-esteem and personality traits like aggressiveness and impulsivity. The Prevention catalog will offer content to identify who is at most risk for addiction and how to implement age-appropriate strategies to prevent the onset of the disease.
Article
Preventing Drug Misuse and Addiction: The Best Strategy
National Institute on Drug Abuse
From the NIDA article,
"Risk of drug use increases greatly during times of transition. For an adult, a divorce or loss of a job may increase the risk of drug use. For a teenager, risky times include moving, family divorce, or changing schools. When children advance from elementary through middle school, they face new and challenging social, family, and academic situations. Often during this period, children are exposed to substances such as cigarettes and alcohol for the first time. When they enter high school, teens may encounter greater availability of drugs, drug use by older teens, and social activities where drugs are used."
