Could I Become an Addict? 8. Could I Become an Addict? “Why me, Doc? Why am I the one hooked on drugs in my family? Why do I have all this trouble? Maybe I’m a bad seed...” Conversations like this can be common between drug users and their doctors. Understanding why someone is a drug user is a complex and important problem. “Vulnerability”—Who Will Take Drugs? Drug users are a diverse population of individuals, and drug abuse, in general, is a complex process. But, key questions are the following: What traits or characteristics do drug users share? Can we identify groups or individuals that will become addicts or are in danger of becoming addicts? It would be a great thing if we could, because then we could target these people for prevention and treatment. Targeting just this group would likely save lots of money and possibly be more effective because the efforts would be focused rather than broadly aimed and widespread. It turns out that we have studied drug users and addicts and have identified factors that are more common among them than among the general population.
