Are You More Likely to Become Addicted?
People are often curious as to the relationship between genetics and addiction. Are some people more likely to suffer from addiction? If so, are some more likely to encounter difficulty in recovery? Are people with a family history of addiction more likely to become addicted themselves? The prevailing consensus so far is that genes play an important role, but not the only one, in addiction. In the words of the University of Utah’s Genetic Science Learning Center, “someone’s genetic makeup will never doom them to inevitably become an addict”. Addiction is a complex disease. Researchers still don’t fully understand all of the disease’s causes and implications. Many debates surround the causes of addiction, whether environmental, social, genetic, or otherwise. Most researchers agree that addiction results from a variety of such factors, rather than being determined by any single one.
Genes, the Environment, and Addiction
DrugAbuse.gov notes that while 99.9% of DNA sequences are identical among all people, the .1% difference accounts for a great number of differences. There is no single gene that determines a person’s likelihood for addiction. Instead, many variations across multiple genes can influence various factors related to addiction. Furthermore, the writers note, these genes interact with a person’s environment to increase or decrease risks of addiction. Lifestyle choices, such as diet and exercise, may offset a genetic predisposition towards addiction. Likewise, “genes can play a part in how a person responds to his or her environment, placing some people at higher risk for disease than others”. The Genetic Science Learning Center offers a few relevant examples of genes tying to addiction in humans:
- People addicted to alcohol or cocaine are more likely to have the A1 allele of the dopamine receptor gene DRD2.
- Non-smokers are more likely than smokers to carry a protective allele of the CYP2A6 gene. It causes them to feel nausea and dizziness from smoking.
- Alcoholism is rare in people with two copies of the ALDH*2 gene variation.
Is Addiction Hereditary?
Studies have shown that “addictions are moderately to highly heritable,” with “an individual’s risk [tending] to be proportional to the degree of genetic relationship to an addicted relative”. Researchers are quick to point out, however, that despite increased susceptibility, individual risk for addiction is still “profoundly influenced by lifestyle and individual choices”. Dr. Glen Hanson summarizes: “Just because you are prone to addiction doesn’t mean you’re going to become addicted. It just means you’ve got to be careful”.
Offsetting a Genetic Predisposition to Addiction
The American Psychological Association notes that half of a person’s susceptibility to addiction can be explained by genetics. The other half, then, is within an individual’s control. Finding the right environment, supportive people, the proper mindset, and making healthy lifestyle choices can all help offset any genetic predisposition towards addiction. Learning to accept one’s susceptibility to addiction, recognizing personal pitfalls and unhealthy habits, and dedicating one’s self to change are important milestones when choosing to fight a dependence or addiction to a given substance.
Help for Your Drug or Alcohol Addiction
At Granite Recovery Centers in New Hampshire we believe no one is doomed to a life of addiction. With numerous drug rehab facilities offering a wide spectrum of addiction care, our approach uses a combination of 12-step work and clinical care that gives individuals the education, support, and care they need to beat addiction. If you or a loved one is struggling with an addiction to drugs or alcohol, please call our admissions specialists at 855.712.7784 . We can help.
