Addiction and Genetics
People are born with a genetic predisposition to become an addict. In fact, genetics is probably as high as 60% responsible, according to the American Psychiatric Association. If a person has a parent that is an addict they are eight times more likely to become an addict too. This is because the probability of addiction is hardwired into the brain’s chemistry. This does not mean that a person has to become addicted and that this is their destiny but in the right environment, they have a higher chance. This means that those with a genetic predisposition to addiction are more likely to become addicted. The chances increase even more with each exposure to addictive substances.
Addiction is a chronic disease. If a person’s mother or father have a disease such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or cardiovascular disease they are at an increased risk of developing the same illness. This is the same with addiction. It doesn’t mean a person is going to get it, just that they are more likely to. So, if someone knows they are prone to high blood pressure or to diabetes then they take measures to reduce the risks. This is what the families of someone with an addiction should do too. Just because a person has an alcoholic father this doesn’t mean that they are only susceptible to alcoholism. What it means is that they are more likely to develop any addiction.
When a person takes measures to reduce their risk of developing a disease that someone on their family had they usually do so by controlling their environment because of the genetic link. Someone with a predisposition to high blood pressure would reduce their risks by dieting, reducing stress, and exercising regularly. Basically, this means that it is essential for a person to control their environment in order to effectively change their genetic wiring. This would require taking the same steps to reduce exposure to addictive drugs or alcohol.
According to Hope Networks, there are close to 30 million people in the US alone that have an alcoholic parent(s). Almost 11 million of that number is minor children under the age of 18. This is not even counting the children that have parents that are addicted to drugs. This suggests that there are millions of people that need to understand their genetic wiring so they can prepare to fight hard for themselves, especially the sons of alcoholic fathers who at the highest risk.
There is some evidence that suggests that the genetic link might skip a generation. This would suggest that a person’s chances of becoming addicted are increased if they had grandparents or even great grandparents that were addicts. This makes these efforts even more difficult to trace back. Because of this education for everyone is essential and it needs to start very early on. There needs to be more addiction prevention program designed for adolescents. The programs that address elementary school students such as DARE are good starts but are not effective enough.
More programs need to be integrated where these genetically high risk children can learn ways to use the energy that would be used in addiction and how to channel it in ways that are positive. Doing this at the very earliest possibility is a way for these children to fully know and understand that their genetic make-up is faulty but that they are not faulty. Education is the best way to deal with this but it will only work if it is basically in bred in the very youngest of children.
