Does Alcohol and Drug Addiction Run in Your Family?
By Caroline Kahiu
Why do some people get addicted to alcohol and drugs while others do not? The old saying “nature or nurture” might need to be better phrased as “nature and nurture” because we are all the result of dynamic interactions between genes and environment. Diseases can be woven into your DNA – and that includes diseases of alcohol and drug addiction.
About half of your susceptibility to developing a substance use disorder (SUD) can be hereditary. Genetics can mark you as more prone to use alcohol, tobacco products, or drugs such as marijuana, heroin, cocaine, or opioids. But does that mean that your chance of addiction is essentially a coin flip if you have a family history of alcohol and drug use disorders? It is a little more complicated than that. Thinking of addiction as genetics begins with the understanding that addiction is a chronic relapsing brain disease. In many ways, it is no different from having a family history of heart disease or diabetes. Since parents pass on certain genes to their children, certain diseases that are linked to genetics might be said to “run” in the family. Most diseases, including addiction, are complex, and variations in many different genes contribute to a person’s overall level of risk or protection.
So, are there addiction genes? The genetic connection to addiction comes through inherited levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter made in your brain. Think of dopamine as your brain’s reward center and it acts as a “feel good” hormone. According to Dr. Akhil Anand, Cleveland Clinic, “If you have the genes, or if you have family members that are struggling or have struggled with addiction, it does not mean that you are going to develop an addiction.” It means that genetics indicate a predisposition – not a destiny. Clearly, your family tree is not the sole indicator of addiction risk but make a point of familiarizing yourself with it. It will offer a clue about how vulnerable to addiction you might be. For example, if you have a close relative that’s affected, it is a clue to be extra careful.
Nevertheless, many factors play a role in addiction. Complex interactions between an individual’s genes and the environment, including their upbringing- as well as other biological, social, and cognitive factors- can potentially increase someone’s overall risk of substance use and addiction. Addiction can develop as a result of several potential genetic and environmental factors, as well as the interplay between these influences. What this means is that even if you have a family history of addiction, you are not necessarily guaranteed to develop an addiction. You need to have access to the drug, use it repeatedly, and be exposed to certain environmental influences in order to develop an addiction. Trauma, abuse, neglect, or witnessing domestic violence can also have a negative effect on brain development and certain brain structures, which can impact behaviors related to addiction, such as impulse control, decision-making abilities, emotional regulation, and social-emotional skills.
What does it all mean? For starters, there is no single path to addiction. Anybody can develop SUDs or addiction, and they can do it for a number of reasons. Even if you have a genetic predisposition to addiction, you can take steps to manage the risk, increase the protection and minimize your chances of addiction. Our genomes influence our behavior very early in life, but our environments ultimately shape how those dispositions unfold. Our predispositions are not our destiny; no one is born destined to develop alcohol and drug use disorders.
Caroline Kahiu is a Substance Use Prevention Advocate
carolinewkahiu@gmail.com