Determinants of risky substance use and risky gambling

Risky substance use and risky gambling describe behaviour that has the potential for, but does not actually result in, harm to the individual engaging in the behaviour, their friends, and family, or wider society. Drawing together evidence from 12 disciplines working in the field of substance use and gambling, this chapter presents determinants of the transition from no use or low-risk use to risky substance use or risky gambling, operating across three levels of analysis: the social, economic, and political environment; the individual; and the cellular and molecular. Determinants within each level of analysis are clustered into domains, such as social and economic marginalization, gender and sexuality, personality traits, and neuroadaptations. There is much interaction between factors operating across the three levels of analysis. A key finding is that the social, economic, and political environment is particularly important for understanding transitions to risky behaviour.