Addiction and the Genetic Factor

One in five people are believed to be vulnerable to addiction. If exposed to the "drug" they are unwittingly vulnerable to - whether it be alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex, or anything else - they quickly find themselves locked into a behaviour pattern they are powerless to change.

Is there an addiction gene? Addiction and the genetic factor have been a source of controversy since scientists began to research the possibility that certain people are born predisposed to addiction.

Scientists and researchers are going further back than ever before to unearth present truths. Addiction runs in the family. Time and again, after some investigation, addicts have discovered that there were similar difficulties in the lives of cousins, grandparents and great grandparents. This was the first indication that addiction may be an inherited condition.

It isn't possible to blame a single, specific gene for causing someone to develop addictive behaviour. There are however, several that combine to form a strong susceptibility to the behavioural patterns that addict's exhibit. This is the addiction and genetics debate.

When someone with these particular genes are exposed to a particular substance or an activity, the brain chemistry can be fundamentally altered. This leads to to compulsive behaviour and the end result is usually that of addiction. In the same way that there are people walking around with a major predisposition for getting cancer, it seems that we can say the same thing in regard to addiction.

Of course, when dealing with addiction and the genetic factor, you still have to take into account the external factors as well. Why is it, for example, that a man becomes a drug addict, when his sister has never so much as smoked? External circumstances, stimuli and environmental factors also play their part in affecting people who are genetically prone to addiction.

The addiction and the genetic factor discussion will play on for years to come. This is still a fairly new field of scientific study and, it must be acknowledged, that some still believe that personality disorders are a more relevant area to blame. Even if a definitive link is found, there is a still a long way to go before this information can be used to treat addiction sufferers and their families. Until that day comes, treating addiction through counselling and group therapy is still the best route to take.

Alcoholism, gambling, sexual and drug addiction could all be the result of inherited genes and generations of vulnerability. If you believe that addiction runs in the family, analyse yourself honestly. If it appears that you have a vulnerability to addictive behaviour, seek professional assistance. Seeking medical assistance quickly can reduce a lot of heart ache in the long-term.