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Genetics and Addiction
Individuals with a family history of drug
addiction or alcoholism are at a greater risk
for addiction themselves. While scientists have
not found an “addiction gene,” the genetic
connection appears clear. Children of addicts or
alcoholics who were adopted by another
non-addict family often develop addictions, even
in the absence of an addicted environment. This
may be because of other emotional disorders
present in the genetics of the family line, or
there may be a number of genetic factors that
come together to create a tendency for
addiction.
Children of alcoholics are said to be 4 to 8
times as likely to become alcoholics as opposed
to people without family history of alcoholism.
However, part of the amount of risk can be
accounted for through environmental influence.
Based on our current understanding, it is
probable that environmental influences will be
at least as important, and possibly more
important, than genetic influences. Success in
uncovering the genes involved in a vulnerability
to alcoholism will help researchers to recognize
the potential for alcoholism in high-risk
individuals, to intervene at an early stage, and
to develop new treatments for alcohol-related
problems. This is an area of scientific and
medical research that will continue to yield
important answers to the basic questions of what
causes alcoholism and how we as a society can
prevent and treat it.
Genes might play a direct role in the
development of alcoholism, as in affecting the
body's metabolism of alcohol; or they might play
a less direct role, influencing a person's
temperament or personality in such a way that
the person becomes vulnerable to alcohol and
drug abuse. Everyone with a family history of
alcoholism is at risk for developing alcohol
abuse disorders, but males who are aggressive
and extroverted are at the greatest risk. They
will, at some point in their lives, be more
likely to experiment with drugs or alcohol than
someone who is introverted and socially
inhibited.
Progress has been made in understanding genetic
vulnerability toward drug addiction and
alcoholism. Researchers now know that more than
one gene is more than likely to be responsible
for this inclination towards alcoholism or drug
addiction. It’s up to researchers now to
determine what these genes are and whether they
are specific for alcohol and drug abuse or
something more general, such as differences in
personality that may increase an individual's
vulnerability to alcoholism and drug addiction.
Researchers must also determine how genes and
the environment interact to influence an
individual toward alcoholism and drug addiction.
Hopefully soon, a breakthrough will come,
bringing about a more thorough understanding
what causes alcoholism and drug addiction.
Currently, the
disease of alcoholism and drug addiction is
still a mystery overall. The causes and
conditions have still yet to be fully understood
but one day, a breakthrough should come. Until
that day, we will continue on our current path,
helping those who suffer from the fatal disease
of alcohol and drug addiction.
By: Patrick McLemore
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