Some individual, family and community factors can put young people more at risk and
make them vulnerable to experimentation with drugs and eventual drug abuse and depend
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ence. Examples of risk factors are having a specific temperament or particular personality
traits, a family history of addiction, a family member who abuses drugs, negative relation
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ships with parents that lack bonding and warmth, neglect and abuse, lack of a family or
home, friends who experiment with or use drugs, living in a community where drug abuse
is common and a lack of schooling or employment. Insufficient rest and nutrition may also
put an individual at greater risk, so it is important to maintain a balanced diet and get
enough sleep. The more risk factors are present in a person’s life, the more likely it is that
he or she will start experimenting with or continue to abuse drugs in a regular pattern and
eventually become dependent.