The objective of the present research is to understand the factors that initiate drug consumption and intervene in the escalation of drug consumption; in this sense, a wide range of etiopathogenesis of substance use disorders (SUD) was considered.

In order to assess the risk factors involved in the onset and maintenance of SUD we compared two groups (the study group - 60 people who admit that they have consumed drugs at least at a recreational level, and the control group, equivalent in terms of numbers, age, sex ratio, and use only of legal drugs).

The methods of collecting qualitative data were: clinical interview, observation, diagnosis of drug disorder and other psychiatric diagnosis as according to Kid-SCID.

A questionnaire was developed in order to collect data regarding age at the beginning of consumption, family, environment, pattern of drug consumption.

For the quantitative data three questionnaires were applied: Cloninger Personality Test, the Constructive Thought Inventory and the Parental Stress Index.

The majority of users of psychoactive substances present a disharmonic family situation. The results of the Cloninger Personality Test describe the drug consuming teenager as shy, in search of new sensations, impulsive. In our study, the people in the experimental group have obtained significantly lower scores than the control group in: behavioural and emotional coping, conscientiousness (Constructive Thought Inventory).

For an adequate result in the fight against drugs, the pronounced integration of etiopathogenic elements and of the basic mechanisms of consumption is needed.