Is Addiction Inherited through Genes or Behavior?

11/14/2007

Ask most people on the street whether or not addiction "runs in the family”"and they will say yes -- that it is a genetic thing. This isn't because that’s what they’ve learned or found out through actual scientific evidence, but instead just because that’s what they’ve been told.

The truth is that in just about every family you can trace back within a generation or two and find an aunt, uncle, cousin, or even parent or sibling and find someone who has had a problem with addiction at some point in their lives. If the genetic theory were wholly true, then that would mean we are all someone predisposed to addiction. Well, we are -- drugs are addictive.

While genetic make-up may help dictate which substances are more appealing, or how much it takes to get drunk or high, someone with “addiction in the family” doesn’t mean they will be come an addict, and someone who has no family history of substance abuse doesn’t automatically mean they will live a drug-free life. So the genetic theory still only remains a theory.

Addiction is an issue that can be handled through educational, environmental and behavioral adjustments. Much of the addictive behavior that runs in families is actually learned and passed down through observation and experience, not the genes.

Throughout the years we have heard countless examples of parents who introduced their kids to drug-saturated environments and yet somehow wonder why they became addicted. By finding a good rehabilitation program and helping them to change their behaviors and environment, they can become drug-free. We can help you find drug rehab programs. Call us today!

http://www.drugaddictiontreatment.ca

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