When it comes to dependency, or addiction, you have probably heard a lot of contradicting opinions. It's possible that you know someone, either firsthand or through rumors, who smokes marijuana, but hasn't become an addict - they can get high once or twice, and then not do it again for months and they are fine. You may also have been warned: "If you start, you won't be able to stop, and eventually you will move on to even worst drugs." The problem behind all this is that we are not all affected by drugs in the same exact way, either biologically, socially, or psychologically. All kinds of factors play into the equation; they are the result of genetics as well as personal experience. Some psychologists believe that addiction results from the combination of three things: substance, individual, and sociocultural opportunity.. The substance A substance by itself does not create addiction. If this were true, all American who drank even one beer would become alcoholics. Of course, the risk of dependency is dictated by the substance's unique properties. heroin is known to be extremely physically addictive and to take hold very quickly. But that's not true of marijuana. Caffeine and cocaine are both stimulants, but their strength is completely different: caffeine is to cocaine what a campfire is to the atomic bomb. The individual The risk of addiction is also a matter of individual predisposition, or sensitively. We know that tolerance to alcohol depends on weight (lighter people need fewer drinks to get drunk) and gender (women process alcohol differently and so become drunk more quickly than men). The opportunity Finally, the third major factor in determining whether someone becomes an addict: the opportunity. To do drugs, you have to be able to get drugs, to be around people who have them. Not too many people get smashed for the first time just sitting in their bedroom by themselves. Instead, they do it at a party where there are a bunch of people trying to have a good time. In that case, it's often curiosity or wanting to experience new sensations that motivates them to experiment with drugs. And that's not even taking into account the desire to be like everyone else, to not be a baby who drinks fruit juice while the others have already graduated to beer. For some people, the first time will be the last. For others, there will be a next time, and a next, and a next. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tracy_Ma