While I would never counsel a parent to sound the alarm if they noticed these traits in the absence of signs and evidence of substance use, it is helpful to understand the role of personality traits in the development of addiction. It allows us to develop a more nuanced understanding of why a person may abuse substances, and perhaps more importantly, it allows us to customize our intervention by specifically targeting these problem areas. The New York Times does a nice job of explaining these risk factors in this article.

The 4 Traits That Put Kids at Risk for Addiction