Ray began smoking pot and sneaking drinks from his parents by the time he was 9, and by 14 he was a daily drinker and drug user... He gave as much thought to picking up a drink or a drug as he would to breathing. "It's like going to a shopping center and you throw a bag of Doritos into the cart," he said. Ray's history is not unusual, but new tools are offering new answers to the question of why someone like him becomes an addict.

Stars and drugs. There is a long and troubled history in Hollywood of stars going overboard, over dosing, losing their careers, relationships, and even their lives. But why does fame and drug abuse so often go hand in hand?

An individual can become addicted, dependent, or compulsively obsessed with any activity, substance, object, or behavior that gives him/her pleasure. Several researchers imply that there is a similarity between physical addiction and psychological dependence.

From top executives to athletes to actors, reaching the top only to be detoured by alcoholism or other self-destructive behavior is an all-too-common occurrence.

Identifying genetic influences on vulnerability to alcohol addiction can lead to more targeted treatments and help those at risk to make informed choices about their own lives.

Myths about this disease abound, such as the one that an individual needs to reach rock bottom before they can get any help.

The American Psychiatric Association says that a person is dependent if their pattern of substance use leads to clinically significant impairment or distress shown by three or more of the following in a 12-month period...

Scientists know more about addiction now than they did even 10 years ago, and have learned much about how the risk factors work together.

Addiction can develop despite a person's best intentions and in spite of their strength of character. Repeated drug use disrupts complex but well balanced systems in the human brain.

When I was 21, one of my closest friends began taking heroin 'recreationally.' He loved the way it made him feel - it counteracted the stress of everyday life - and he firmly believed that he was smart, self-aware and disciplined enough to do it just now and then.