Is Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Hereditary?

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It is common question whether parents who suffer an alcohol or drug problem are likely to have children that will also. It is more likely that children, who grow up in adverse environments such as a home with an addict, are more likely to test out using drugs and alcohol. This being because they look to substances as their parents may have, as an opportunity to escape stressful emotions. That isn't to say that maybe some children who have witnessed a parent with a substance abuse problem, also may never want to tryout either alcohol or drugs. It is possible that offspring of addicts simply are more likely to become addicted to a drug than others because of their personality.

Just as some people can try things and quit them quickly, some have a gene structure that makes their character more likely to crave it again. With illegal substances and alcohol, drug dependency occurs because of the way it triggers the brain. A functioning brain gives off a certain level of serotonin, sometimes higher when an individual feels pleasure possibly from an enjoyed activity. Drugs and alcohol disrupt this natural process and confuse the brain. If you were to eat cheeseburgers every single day because you loved them and then were forced to only eat salad, your brain would tell you to want a cheeseburger. Drugs and alcohol magnify this on a large scale. Some drugs of addiction more powerfully than others, can do this with just one try.

Studies between identical and non-identical twins gave the most input into the disposition for drug and alcohol addiction between family members. With identical twins if one had an addiction the other could develop one. Fraternal twins the chances were not 100 percent but there was a percentage. It isn't always out in the open that a family member has a suffered from a drug dependency but if you know that someone in your family suffered from substance abuse and addiction it is smart to be careful and aware of drug use and abuse. The truth is that anyone who participates in alcohol and drug abuse can develop an addiction because of the way it attacks the brain. Addiction is only partly made up of heredities. Surroundings and managing devices also play a role.

Scientists are using information they have learned from studying genetics and are looking at how they can apply them into stronger treatment programs. This could mean treatment plans for those with different addictions based off of how they are genetically made up. This would only strengthen the outcomes of alcohol and drug treatment.

If you or someone in your family is suffering from an addiction please call and get help finding treatment centers. Call Raleigh Drug Treatment Centers now for more information. (877) 804-1531