Contributed by: Victoria Walsh (guest contributer)
Is addiction a genetic thing, or does it all come down to environmental factors? Many have been looking for an answer to that question for years; discovering the truth may help those suffering find the best possible cure.
If genes cause addiction, could medication be used to help stop these mutations from forming? Will altering one’s life and their surroundings help prevent addiction from forming? Does the additional emotional stress we surround ourselves with increase our chances of becoming addicted?
Researchers will most likely continue this debate long into the future, but this is all the factual information we have to go on for now. When looking at each case of addiction, it is essential to note that every case is different and will have its particular reason for occurring.
Determining the cause of the addiction is a great way to determine whether or not it is, in fact, nature or nurture.
Addictions Caused By Nature
The American Psychological Association recently reported that an individual’s susceptibility to becoming addicted could be linked to their genes. The biological information passed down from parents has proven to determine the number of factors, from eye color to skin color.
These genes are responsible for linking family members together and pushing their genetics down the line. Some genes increase the likelihood of addiction and can make a person more susceptible to the disorder.
When diagnosing a person, there is no one gene to blame for the problem. When it comes to nature and addiction, several genes have the power to work together and can influence whether or not people will become addicted or not.
For example, some people despise the taste of beer and will therefore be protected from becoming addicted to the substance. Some have an increased sensitivity to the substance due to the above-average density of their taste buds. This enables them to taste a little bit more and can play a role in the addiction process.
Genes Play a Part
Some genes can lessen the side effects of the withdrawal process and therefore skip the horrible and painful symptoms of the step that generally pushes people to quit. If the person never feels bad after using, they are less likely to quit.
The argument that addiction is down to nature can either be strengthened or contradicted by the fact that alcoholism can be passed down via generations. Some families have members who are alcoholics, and those alcoholics may raise children who also drink excessively.
Is this genetics, or is it simply down to the fact that they know no better after being raised constantly surrounded by it?
Addictions Caused by Nurture
As people begin to make their way through life, they develop preferences and habits that may lead them to addiction. Certain events and surroundings can help spark the process and this is the nurture side of the addiction process.
When its mother is protecting a newborn baby from an abusive and alcoholic father, a certain level of trauma occurs. Living in a chaotic and violent home causes instability in one’s life due to the constant feeling of danger.
The feelings of concern and fear are often carried way into adulthood and manifest themselves in many different ways. In an attempt to self-medicate, some turn to drugs to help forget about the trauma instead of dealing with it.
These children develop addiction due to their upbringing and not their genetic makeup. The experiences many have endured and survived can spark an addiction without any help from genetics.
Early use of a drug can cause irreversible damage to the brain and further feed the addiction until it takes over completely. When the brain is still developing, it is very susceptible to the damage drug use and abuse can incur.
The younger you begin to use drugs, the more damage you begin to cause to the cells and the harder it is for your brain to recover. With early teens, it can be harder to say no to peer pressure, therefore increasing the chances of addiction.
Teenagers and Addiction
Teens without peer pressure do not face this problem, and therefore the argument that nurture has a significant impact on the addiction process can be backed up.
Parents who drink excessively in front of their children may be increasing their child’s chances of becoming addicted. Watching someone you look up to drink in excess signals that it is okay to do the same and slowly form beliefs around alcohol, which could determine how you deal with it in the future.
Addiction is a chronic debilitating disease that can have a severe impact on one’s life. Whether or not addiction is down to nature or nurture, it is crucial to understand its impact on one’s health and relationships. Every case of addiction is unique and should be treated differently.
The proper treatment will determine what may be triggering the disease and hopefully deal with any trauma or genetic makeup that may be pushing a person to give in to their addiction.
Victoria Walsh, a former senior partner at Inventory Solutions based in South West, London – with 23 years of experience in the UK property and insurance industries, Victoria is a social media expert and writes articles and eBooks. Victoria is a mentor with The Princes Trust Enterprise Scheme and CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel Development) and recently completed her level 5 Certificate in Human Resources and Learning and Development. She is married with two grown-up children, Jack is at full-time lay about, and Grace is a journalist.
