An addiction is the fact or condition of being physically and mentally dependent on a particular substance or activity. The two main types of addiction are behavioral addictions, for example gambling, and substance dependence, and they are both influenced by many different factors. In the UK, statistics from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System show that in 2011-12, 197,110 people aged 18 and over were receiving treatment for drug and alcohol abuse. Not only can an addiction affect and ruin an individual's health and quality of life, but it has broader effects, as the individual may be seen as a burden or threat to their family and friends. as well as for the health system and the surrounding society. This report will focus on substance dependence, primarily drugs and alcohol, and the risk factors that make people more susceptible to them. In this report, I will ask and answer the following questions: Are there genetic, environmental, or neurobiological factors that make some people particularly vulnerable to drug or alcohol addiction? And how do these factors interact? Although I will primarily discuss in detail the genetic, neurobiological, and environmental factors of why some people are more likely to develop addictions than others, I will briefly mention a few other risk factors and explain how they can lead to addictions. no longer experience pleasure in taking the substance to which they are addicted and only take it to avoid severe withdrawal symptoms. The table below shows the different risk factors influencing addiction and briefly explains how they relate to addiction. Risk factors Link to addiction Genetics Inherited genes Middle of paper ......l answers and relates them with memories. The accumulation of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of the limbic system produces powerful feelings of pleasure, because cocaine causes the formation of an abnormally high number of dopamine receptor complexes in the NAc. There are two important memory centers in this system located in the hippocampus and the amygdala. Under the influence of cocaine, memories of pleasure, people, places, and other things associated with the cocaine experience become imprinted in these memory centers. When you experience these cues again, it may trigger an urge to repeat the experience. This can lead to compulsive behavior to continue taking cocaine. The frontal cortex of the limbic system may prevent other limbic regions from creating a desire to use cocaine. However, if it becomes impaired, it is unlikely that it will be able to overcome the cravings for cocaine abuse...