A new study shows that people with opioids addictions are likely to have a higher-risk of abusing drugs in first place. For all this time, studies on drug addiction tends to link to prescription abuse. However, a research finds that from 136,000 opioid-overdose patients, only 13 percent of them had chronic condition required to be treated with pain care. Which means, the rest of them, somehow, have developed drug addiction without having to take the opioid medication.

According to researchers, abusing prescribed drugs cannot be seen as the sole cause because there are many other contributing factors such as mental illness, child trauma and even unemployment. The study also finds that people with traumatic childhood are likely to develop the drug addiction. Albeit many other traumas, the childhood unfortunate experience comes at number one.

Only five percent patients with chronic pains developed drug addiction

This finding is backed with another research on opioid crisis published in CastLightHealth. It states that only five percent of patients prescribed with opioid, abused the drugs that they obtained from multiple doctors.

With this in mind, scientists suggest solving the problem using a different approach because limiting opioid prescription in chronic pains are not doing any effective result in stopping addiction.

Further explanation on the research

Half of people with opioid addiction are diagnosed with mental and personality disorders. The researcher takes an example of children with impulsive behaviors are at high risk and so are the children with high anxiety. It is important to address the issue since they are young before they abuse drugs and develop addiction in their teenage years.

Another major risk factor includes poverty and insecurity, RawStory has learned. The unemployment and hopelessness are among the many other causes as people feel they are being marginalized. In a heroin addiction study, it found that people who earn less than $20,000 per year are more likely to develop addiction than of those with high income of more than $50,000.

Scientists suggest steering the people with higher risk of addiction to a healthier lifestyle because if they are in despair, they seek and abuse drugs to feel better. It is a matter of getting them to learn about well being instead of just put the blame on doctors and drug dealers.

Infographic provided by Turnbridge

Topics Opioid addiction, Mental health