Prescription Drug Abuse Causes

Many of the causes and risk factors of prescription drug abuse are due to a teen’s genetic, physical, and the surrounding environment. “It’s well understood that addiction of all types runs in families. Teens who are born into a family in which addiction played a major role are more likely than their peers to develop an addiction to prescription medication and other drugs” ("Causes, Symptoms & Effects of Prescription Drug Abuse") Teenagers that have an parent or guardian using drugs are more likely to begin abusing them, due constant presence around the prescribed drugs. A teenager’s environment also plays a critical role in impacting their mindset. Friend groups can encourage a teen to start using drugs and sometimes pressure them; additionally
the need to be popular can lead to addiction. “The researchers found one factor that affected teens’ use of prescription drugs was the need to feel popular. ‘Wanting to fit in with your peers is connected to anxiety,’ Delaney said (Vimont). Peer pressure is highly experienced in public schools, and this can lead teens to start abusing various prescription drugs. In physical terms, teens are undergoing serious growth and development in the brain. Furthermore, teens lack the knowledge of prescription drugs and their ability to resist temptation.