For example, while children of alcoholics are at greater risk than others of developing alcohol and coping problems, the vast majority of children of alcoholics do not develop alcoholism or serious coping problems.
Some researchers estimate that only one in five develop such problems.
A second component, 'protective factors,' or those aspects of a person's biology, psychology, and environment which serve to mediate or mitigate against substance abuse, are at least as important. They noted that adolescents with positive relationships, involvement and bonding within families, strong role models, educational successes, good school bonding, and focused aspirations seemed much less likely to develop alcohol and drug problems. Easy temperaments seemed to enable children and adolescents to adapt to stresses and adopt more positive attitudes, and both of these attributes seem to be powerful protective factors. Peer factors included accurate perceptions of norms of use and nonuse by peers, and skills to resist pressures to use. Environmental factors included such things as availability and accessibility of alcohol in the community, and the ability to critically examine alcohol advertising.