Risk factors to addiction

Age;

• The old age and adolescents are the most vulnerable to addiction due to lifestyle changes.
• Helfer - study on swiss females over 75, 17% took painkillers or sleeping tablets daily, with 6% taking tranquilisers. 47% of swiss males had alcohol daily.
• Health Canada Youth Smoking Survey - Found that adolescents between the ages of 12-15 were more likely to go on to develop other addictions as smoking is opening the gateway of addiction.

Stress;

• Correlation between stress and dependancy
• Does stress cause dependancy or dependancy cause stress?
• Higher levels of people with addiction in urban areas due to social stressors.
• Piazza - behavioural sensitisation on rats, found increased activity…