Narconon of Georgia  

Promoting the theory that drug addiction is an inherited disease can have some devastating effects.  There is nothing that can be done about one’s genes and this theory gives no motivation to attempt drug rehab.   This theory also raises the question of where these addictive genes came from.  Have some mutants arrived to earth in the last century and dirtied up the gene pool?   While there have always been a certain percentage that over imbibed, the stats of recent decades reflect an epidemic.

No, one can’t change their genes, but they can change their mind and that is the first step in effective drug treatment.  Whether a person is abusing cocaine, heroin, pot or methamphetamine the first step to sobriety begins with a changing of the mind and the decision to get straight.  After that treatment can be effective.

The truth is that stable recovery is totally achievable, not matter the DNA pool.

Narconon drug treatment and education  877-413-3073

http://www.eagletribune.com/pulife/local_story_107011915.html=

“Take The First Step: Is drug addiction inherited?

Take The First Step
Dr. Michael Levy

My question concerns drug addiction and whether or not it is inherited?

It is my opinion that an addiction to drugs is a very complicated disorder that often involves a combination of genetics or heredity, psychological issues, and environmental factors, to name three important variables.

First, regarding heredity, researchers estimate that approximately 30 to 40 percent of the reason individuals become addicted to drugs is due to one's genetic make-up. Across many studies, individuals who come from a family with addiction have a greater chance of becoming addicted to drugs as compared to people with no addiction in their families. And this is true whether they were raised in their own family or in a family in which no one used substances.

In fact, regarding alcohol dependence, a famous study found that children of alcoholic parents adopted away at birth and raised in non-alcoholic families had a four times greater chance of developing an alcohol problem as an adult as compared to children of non-alcoholic parents who were adopted away at birth and raised in alcoholic families. Other studies have shown that identical twins who have the same genes have greater rates of both developing an addiction to a drug than do fraternal twins who do not have the same genetic makeup. So clearly genes are important.

In addition, one's psychological makeup is important. For example, if a person struggles with anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem, this could increase the chances of developing an addiction to drugs, particularly if a genetic vulnerability exists. This occurs because a person may learn that using drugs "helps" in some ways. For example, alcohol can decrease a person's anxiety and enable the person to be more social. Or a person may learn that a particular drug may help them cope with feelings of depression. Clearly, using drugs is not the best solution, but in the short term, drug use may help.

Finally, one's environment is also important. For example, if a person grows up in an environment where no one is using drugs, the chances of developing an addiction go down. However, in an environment where many individuals are using drugs, the risk increases. In fact, it is believed that like many illnesses, a genetic vulnerability to have an illness often must interact with a particular environment for it to come into existence.

For example, a person may have a high vulnerability to develop cancer, but if the person is not exposed to a toxic environment, cancer may not come into existence. However, if the person is exposed to a toxic environment, such as pollutants in the air or tobacco, for example, the vulnerability to develop cancer may occur.

So the development of a drug addiction is complicated, but genes are certainly very important. Overall, I would say that a heightened propensity to develop an addiction is often inherited and based upon a host of other factors, it may or may not occur. In general, as I stated above, about 30 to 40 percent of the reason a person develops an addiction is related to heredity.”