Adolescents can develop a substance use disorder by the environment they are surrounded in. Depending if the adolescent is going through emotional or mental issues and they are having negative experiences at home, this can cause an adolescent to develop a SUD. Families are the first to nurture, socialize, and build character for their younger generations. It is the foundation that keeps adolescents stabilized. If that foundation is founded negatively, having parents that are alcoholics or addicts; can lead to an obstructive home life. Teenagers that start to form a substance addiction are coping with responses to emotional chaos, abuse, conflict, loss, etc. In a household setting, if there are not any boundaries set in place to separate the parent and child subsystem it can create a nonfunctioning unit. To prevent an adolescent from forming a SUD, they can find ways to understand how substance abuse can happen. Teenagers can steer away from temptation and avoid peer pressure. Creating healthy friendships and relationships can help an adolescent from consuming substances. Surrounding yourself with the right people can create a good environment. If a teen is going through a mental issue they should seek help. Find a therapist or a professional that can provide coping skills that will reduce the symptoms. Adolescents should maintain a healthy balanced life and find activities that will keep them entertained and that are stress- free. Developing dreams and goals will keep a teenager focused; showing them that drugs and alcohol can inhibit them from achieving those goals. According to the National Library of Medicine, alcoholism is a complex genetic disease that gives those with a parent who is an alcoholic about a 50% higher chance of developing an alcohol addiction themselves. Rutgers University reports that with most drug addictions, the predisposition is even higher than with alcohol, at around 70%. In both cases, there are specific genes that have high potential to cause addiction and alcoholism. Other passed down genes link to traits associated with addictive behaviors and personalities. Social environment also plays a role in alcohol and drug abuse. Due to these factors, it makes a lot of sense that an adolescent with maternal and paternal family history of alcohol and drug abuse would be worried they will develop addiction as well. This is exaggerated by the fact that adolescence is typically the time frame that individuals begin to be around alcohol and drugs. As an individual whose parent has been addicted to pills and whose twin brother is sober from alcohol and all drugs, I understand the fear of being predisposed to addiction. My advice for young folks who are concerned is to really turn into themselves and identify behavior patters. Where does there perfectionism, worries, self-doubt, or addictive behaviors show up in their lives? How has addiction impacted their lives to date? Is tasting or trying something worth it? For folks with two parents who are addicts, or who have many family members battling addiction, I'd recommend either controlled drug and alcohol use or deciding not to partake at all, as the genetic risk is so high. Drugs and alcohol are used as masks for stress and life difficulties. I think teaching kids how to work through these emotions and hardships in healthy manners is crucial from a young age. This way, teens and young adults will have healthy skills for how to sit with their hard feelings, instead of needing to numb them. Peer relationships can be crucial in this, as those who you surround yourself with can determine your trajectory around drugs and alcohol. Those with addiction often make friends with addicts. Eventually, addiction will kill or throw an individual in jail and there will be no one left. Creating strong and healthy peer relationships is very important to maintaining a positive and happy lifestyle.