by Edward Hall

Created on: February 03, 2010

The full answer to this question is "both" but if I have to come down on one side or the other I would have to say yes, there is a very real genetic component to addictions. While admitting that both nature and nurture are involved I submit to you that the prevalence of addiction among certain families is a very strong indicator of some type of genetic link.

This does not mean I think or science indicates there is an "addiction gene". There seems to be a real interaction between genes that increase susceptibility to addiction. As another example with less baggage, Native Americans show a genetic predisposition to diabetes. That does not mean that if you are Native American you will be a diabetic, it means you have a greater possibility of being diabetic than the population at large.

The same applies to a genetic predisposition to addiction. If you suffer from a substance addiction the odds are very high that one of your parents did and very possibly both. If you suffer from a substance addiction and one of your parents does also I would be willing to bet you one or both of your grandparents on that side of your family did.

What I am about to tell you is strictly incidental evidence based on my own life but I think it indicates what I am talking about. My families drugs of choice seems to be alcohol and nicotine. That does not mean family members haven't used and become addicted to other substances but those are the two that run through the generations. Some of that may be cultural, who knows?

I am what is politely referred to as a "recovering alcoholic" I call myself a Lapsed Drunk. My alcohol problems seem to mimic my father's - he too started battling the bottle in his fifties. However, like my mother, I was a binge drinker most of my life, going months without a drink and then trying to dry out a bar or two. My grandfathers on both sides were alcoholics and both of them were involved in producing illegal whiskey. Did I mention I am from the Smokey Mountains?

Of my mother's three brothers and one sister for a total of five siblings, three of them were alcoholics and the sister was addicted to pain medication. Both my father's brother and sister were alcoholics. I will not bore you with any more details but I have checked back four generations and find alcoholism prevalent through all four branches of my family tree.

Does this prove there is a genetic link at work in addiction? No. But you must admit it is a strong indication of such a link. Only so much can be attributed to environment and nurture. At some point, if that was all there was to it, common sense would break out and lifestyle changes would be made.

I realized my family's tendency to try to crawl in a bottle very early. I swore it would never happen to me. Imagine my surprise at the age of fifty-five when I realized I was now planning my life around an eighteen pack of Ice House.

So yes, I believe and research indicates there is a genetic link to addiction. I also admit there is a social and environmental component. Just like a genetic predisposition to heart disease and diabetes, with addiction the victim is required to participate in his or her destruction.

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