Additionally, many in the science community agree that addiction is not simply just a result of desensitized neural receptors but also a corollary of long-term associated memories (or cues) of substance use and self-administration.
Some of these individual personality traits, such as impulsivity, reward-seeking, and response to stress, may lead to increased vulnerability to addiction.
Additionally, socioeconomic status and poor familial relationships have been shown to be contributing factors in the initiation and continued use of alcohol or other drugs.
External stressors (such as financial concerns and family problems) can, after repeated exposure, affect the physiology of the brain.
Evidence has also shown that a great amount of stress hinders prefrontal functioning and causes an increased limbic-striatal level response.
[16] Additionally, when the brain is put under severe stress due to repeated drug use, it has been shown to be physiologically altered.
[8][17] This compromised neural state plays a large role in perpetuating addiction and in making recovery more difficult.
Repeated exposure to a drug is one of the determining factors in distinguishing recreational substance use from chronic abuse.
For example, researchers have theorized that addiction is the result of the shift from goal-directed actions to habits and ultimately, to compulsive drug-seeking and taking.
It is the combination of many factors (e.g. genetics, environmental stressors, initiation and continued use of the drug) that culminates in the development of this disorder.
Many factors have been identified as being associated with increased risk of substance use during this period of development including individual differences (e.g., negative affect, decreased harm avoidance, and low motivation for achievement), biological (e.g., genetic predisposition and neurological development), and environmental factors (e.g., high levels of stress, peer influences, availability of substances, etc.)