If you do not currently have an addiction, it is easy to look at someone who is suffering from an addiction and think, “Oh, that will never be me.” Just pause for a moment and think to yourself how many times you have thought that thought about various aspects in life. It is easy to think that you would never become addicted to drugs, alcohol, or pornography. But just because you have in your mind that that is something you would never do, does not mean that you are above it.
Of course, our choices play a major role in if we develop an addiction and what kind of addiction we develop. If we are constantly putting ourselves in a situation where we are drinking or using drugs, yes, we are opening the door to addiction. However, addiction is not solely based on your decisions; there are other impacting factors that determine if you are more likely to develop an addiction. Things that are out of our control, such as gender, genetics, and psychological factors also put us at more or less risk of developing an addiction. Because all of these play into our potential risk, it is important to know what these determining factors are and to be educated on them to truly understand your potential risk for addiction.
