My dad taked loads of pain pills for his back and stuff; my younger brother smoked(s?) pot for years. Interestingly my mum refuses to take any type of pills except for vitamans and stuff.
It has been shown to be hereditary yes.
It has been proven to be familial but there is no evidence yet of genetic predisposition.
Sean,
I beg to differ with you there, respectfully of course.
Sharon
I beg to differ with you there, respectfully of course.
Sharon
I believe familial would mean genetic. Although I have no idea what people are genetically predisposed to anything. I dont even know what race I genetically am for that matter.
probly easyer to be addicted,to things if ya parents were aliaholics,ect than if was no history in family but s*** noone twisted my arm, i chose to get hi,and bout ruin my life....as we can choose not to.....wild
Dear Josh,
If one parent is a addict or alcholic, and the other is straight then there is a 50/50 chance their children will be one or the other........Shel
If one parent is a addict or alcholic, and the other is straight then there is a 50/50 chance their children will be one or the other........Shel
Sandyfeet,
Actually, it is illogical to asign mathematical probability to something as complex as addiction without a complete analisys of every addict living and or dead. There are way too many variables to equate a 50% chance probability. There are parents with no addiction trates that have children with addictions and there are parents who are both addicts with offspring that show no addictive tendacies. Then there are families where everyone is an addict. Fact is....we just don't really know.
Actually, it is illogical to asign mathematical probability to something as complex as addiction without a complete analisys of every addict living and or dead. There are way too many variables to equate a 50% chance probability. There are parents with no addiction trates that have children with addictions and there are parents who are both addicts with offspring that show no addictive tendacies. Then there are families where everyone is an addict. Fact is....we just don't really know.
There have been lots of studies done on this subject. Not everyone in the world has to be tested to come up with answers, and just like with any disease there are variables that have to be accounted for.
Sharon
Sharon
Sharon,
my point exactly, however, 50% is not mathematically possible unless ALL variables have been acounted.
my point exactly, however, 50% is not mathematically possible unless ALL variables have been acounted.
So we do agree, lol.
Sharon
Sharon
Sharon,
I agree, but the math doesn't. Sorry, I have a masters in physics, a BA in Electrical Engineering and another BA in mathematics. why am I a roadie?? Well, obviously I enjoy poverty and pain.
I agree, but the math doesn't. Sorry, I have a masters in physics, a BA in Electrical Engineering and another BA in mathematics. why am I a roadie?? Well, obviously I enjoy poverty and pain.
Bikeman,
Are you like me........an educated fool, lol?
Sharon
Are you like me........an educated fool, lol?
Sharon
A fool no doubt and indeed an educated one.
My father is a recovering alcoholic with 10 yrs sober. Before that, oh boy. Let's keep it short and say that all the people in AA seemed to agree he was one of the worst cases they had ever seen.
As a young teenager, I was sent to counseling to try and cope with this. I hated it. I felt like they were feeding me sh**. The statistic I was given was that children of alcoholics have an 80% chance of becoming one themselves. I year or 2 later when I began to experiment with alcohol I thought "what the hell, I'm doomed anyway. Pass the southern comfort." Luckily, I never had a problem with alcohol or anything else until this past year when the oxy use ran out of control. I'm 29 now. Does that mean I'm in that 80% or not?
I feel fortunate that things are not worse for me. I've had my share of problems with the painkillers, but it could have been much worse. Atlas
P.S. 15 years later the smell of southern comfort still makes me sick.
As a young teenager, I was sent to counseling to try and cope with this. I hated it. I felt like they were feeding me sh**. The statistic I was given was that children of alcoholics have an 80% chance of becoming one themselves. I year or 2 later when I began to experiment with alcohol I thought "what the hell, I'm doomed anyway. Pass the southern comfort." Luckily, I never had a problem with alcohol or anything else until this past year when the oxy use ran out of control. I'm 29 now. Does that mean I'm in that 80% or not?
I feel fortunate that things are not worse for me. I've had my share of problems with the painkillers, but it could have been much worse. Atlas
P.S. 15 years later the smell of southern comfort still makes me sick.
Sharon, you are always respectful and I am happy to be educated if I'm wrong.
Familial and Genetic are not the same thing. Genetic means you have an inherited trait (eye colour, cystic fibrosis etc).
Familial means that something runs in families. There are two reasons that things run in families. The first is because of environment and te second is because it actually is genetic but the link hasn't been detected. Diabetes is familial, not genetic (not proven anyway).
Addiction is familial (being the child of an addict puts you at a higher risk of addiction) possibily due to environment - the damage that addiction does to a child leads them to the addiction they hated so much in their parent - possibly due to genetic predisposition. I personally believe that both environment and genetics play a part though I have never seen any research that identifies the addiction gene. I am sure that will happen in time.
A genetic predisposition means you have a genetic programming that may eventually be triggered or it may not be. If someone has a genetic predisposition to addiction, they may or not become and addict. I personally believe that this is the case, that this will proven in time.
Of course, there will always be people who have no family history of addiction who go on to become addicts due to other factors.
If anyone knows of research that has identified an addiction gene please let me know :)
Familial and Genetic are not the same thing. Genetic means you have an inherited trait (eye colour, cystic fibrosis etc).
Familial means that something runs in families. There are two reasons that things run in families. The first is because of environment and te second is because it actually is genetic but the link hasn't been detected. Diabetes is familial, not genetic (not proven anyway).
Addiction is familial (being the child of an addict puts you at a higher risk of addiction) possibily due to environment - the damage that addiction does to a child leads them to the addiction they hated so much in their parent - possibly due to genetic predisposition. I personally believe that both environment and genetics play a part though I have never seen any research that identifies the addiction gene. I am sure that will happen in time.
A genetic predisposition means you have a genetic programming that may eventually be triggered or it may not be. If someone has a genetic predisposition to addiction, they may or not become and addict. I personally believe that this is the case, that this will proven in time.
Of course, there will always be people who have no family history of addiction who go on to become addicts due to other factors.
If anyone knows of research that has identified an addiction gene please let me know :)
Sean,
You are one smart cookie. What are you up to right now? Are you @ work? I love seeing you posting more. I knew you could not stay away from us, ha ha.
Best wishes,
Sharon
You are one smart cookie. What are you up to right now? Are you @ work? I love seeing you posting more. I knew you could not stay away from us, ha ha.
Best wishes,
Sharon
LIFE SCIENCES, HEALTH Published on 11 February 2005
EU project focuses on isolating the addiction genes
Millions of people worldwide suffer from addiction. That people are genetically predisposed to this affliction is not news. Finding out exactly which genes are to blame is, however, very big news. Until now, scientists have struggled to isolate the genetic culprit. Thanks to EU funding, a group of researchers hope to rectify this.
Combining human genetics research and data with animal studies and strategies to promote specific gene-expression, a team of research organisations from six European Union countries, together with Iceland, have embarked on a major five-year investigation of the genetic roots of addiction.
Although the role of genetics in susceptibility to addiction has been recognised for some time, tracking down the guilty gene(s) has not been easy. This is because of several reasons, according to the newly formed European Integrated Project Genaddict (Genomics, mechanisms and treatment of addiction). The condition itself varies widely and can be exacerbated by familial and environmental influences, making isolating which genes cause or contribute to addiction a huge challenge.
Addiction is broadly defined as being abnormally dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming. And they can come in many forms. Some people are addicted to a substance, such as tobacco, alcohol, prescription drugs, or illegal narcotics like heroin and cocaine. Others may have behavioural addictions not involving a substance per se, such as gambling, eating disorders and obsessive compulsions.
Decoding the addiction
The project, backed by 8.1 million in funding from the EUs Sixth Research Framework Programme (FP6), brings together eight leading public and private research organisations with the aim of identifying the genes involved in addiction and boosting the development of new treatments and strategies against this serious disease.
The study will combine human population genetics with powerful animal genetics and gene-expression strategies. One of the partners, Reykjavik-based pharmaceutical company deCODE genetics, is a world leader in finding genetic markers for common diseases. It will head the human genetics effort, working with Icelands National Centre of Addiction Medicine.
Professor Ian Kitchen of the School of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences at the University of Surrey (UK), who heads the research initiative, says understanding the genetics of addiction may give new insight into its biological basis, and into the dysfunction of the addicted brain.
This may serve as a first step towards developing treatments that can fight drug craving and relapse, instead of focusing solely on the symptoms of drug withdrawal as we do today, he says.
EU project focuses on isolating the addiction genes
Millions of people worldwide suffer from addiction. That people are genetically predisposed to this affliction is not news. Finding out exactly which genes are to blame is, however, very big news. Until now, scientists have struggled to isolate the genetic culprit. Thanks to EU funding, a group of researchers hope to rectify this.
Combining human genetics research and data with animal studies and strategies to promote specific gene-expression, a team of research organisations from six European Union countries, together with Iceland, have embarked on a major five-year investigation of the genetic roots of addiction.
Although the role of genetics in susceptibility to addiction has been recognised for some time, tracking down the guilty gene(s) has not been easy. This is because of several reasons, according to the newly formed European Integrated Project Genaddict (Genomics, mechanisms and treatment of addiction). The condition itself varies widely and can be exacerbated by familial and environmental influences, making isolating which genes cause or contribute to addiction a huge challenge.
Addiction is broadly defined as being abnormally dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming. And they can come in many forms. Some people are addicted to a substance, such as tobacco, alcohol, prescription drugs, or illegal narcotics like heroin and cocaine. Others may have behavioural addictions not involving a substance per se, such as gambling, eating disorders and obsessive compulsions.
Decoding the addiction
The project, backed by 8.1 million in funding from the EUs Sixth Research Framework Programme (FP6), brings together eight leading public and private research organisations with the aim of identifying the genes involved in addiction and boosting the development of new treatments and strategies against this serious disease.
The study will combine human population genetics with powerful animal genetics and gene-expression strategies. One of the partners, Reykjavik-based pharmaceutical company deCODE genetics, is a world leader in finding genetic markers for common diseases. It will head the human genetics effort, working with Icelands National Centre of Addiction Medicine.
Professor Ian Kitchen of the School of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences at the University of Surrey (UK), who heads the research initiative, says understanding the genetics of addiction may give new insight into its biological basis, and into the dysfunction of the addicted brain.
This may serve as a first step towards developing treatments that can fight drug craving and relapse, instead of focusing solely on the symptoms of drug withdrawal as we do today, he says.
Theories of Addiction
Genetic Theory
The genetic theory of addiction, known as addictive inheritance, attempts to separate the genetic and environmental factors of addictive behavior. Studies have been done to control for environmental components to determine if genetics plays a greater role. Most studies looking at alcoholism have determined that children born from alcoholic parents who are adopted into non-alcoholic families have a three to four fold increase in the rate of alcoholism over the rest of the population. Indeed, children born and raised by alcoholic parents have an even greater rate of alcoholism. This suggests that there is some genetic predisposition to alcoholic addiction.
Exposure Theories: Biological Models
The exposure model is based on the assumption that the introduction of a substance into the body on a regular basis will inevitably lead to addiction. The biological, as opposed to the conditioning models, believe that this is a consequence of biology. Underlying the exposure model is the assumption that the introduction of a narcotic into the body causes metabolic adjustments requiring continued and increasing dosages of the drug in order to avoid withdrawal. Although changes in cell metabolism have been demonstrated, as of yet they have not been linked with addiction. Some theorize that those drugs that mimic endorphins (naturally occurring pain killers), if used on a regular basis, will reduce the body's natural endorphin production and bring about a reliance on the external chemical agent for ordinary pain relief.
Exposure Theories: Conditioning Models
The basis of conditioning theories is that addiction is the cumulative result of the reinforcement of drug administration. The substance acts as a powerful reinforcer and gains control over the users behavior. In contrast to the biological models of the exposure theories, these conditioning models suggest that anyone can be driven to exhibit addictive behavior given the necessary reinforcements, regardless of their biology. The advantage of this theory is that it offers the potential for considering all excessive activities along with drug abuse within a single framework: those of highly rewarding behavior. There are many reinforcement models that have been defined including the opponent- process model of motivation and the well known classical conditioning model. Both of these models define addiction as a behavior that is refined because of the pleasure associated with its reinforcement.
Adaptation Theories
The adaptation theories include the psychological, environmental and social factors that influence addiction. Advocates of these theories have analyzed how expectations and beliefs about what a drug will do for the user influence the rewards and behaviors associated with its use. They recognize that any number of factors, including internal and external cues, as well as subjective emotional experiences, will contribute to addictive potential. They support the views that addiction involves cognitive and emotional regulation to which past conditioning contributes.
Genetic Theory
The genetic theory of addiction, known as addictive inheritance, attempts to separate the genetic and environmental factors of addictive behavior. Studies have been done to control for environmental components to determine if genetics plays a greater role. Most studies looking at alcoholism have determined that children born from alcoholic parents who are adopted into non-alcoholic families have a three to four fold increase in the rate of alcoholism over the rest of the population. Indeed, children born and raised by alcoholic parents have an even greater rate of alcoholism. This suggests that there is some genetic predisposition to alcoholic addiction.
Exposure Theories: Biological Models
The exposure model is based on the assumption that the introduction of a substance into the body on a regular basis will inevitably lead to addiction. The biological, as opposed to the conditioning models, believe that this is a consequence of biology. Underlying the exposure model is the assumption that the introduction of a narcotic into the body causes metabolic adjustments requiring continued and increasing dosages of the drug in order to avoid withdrawal. Although changes in cell metabolism have been demonstrated, as of yet they have not been linked with addiction. Some theorize that those drugs that mimic endorphins (naturally occurring pain killers), if used on a regular basis, will reduce the body's natural endorphin production and bring about a reliance on the external chemical agent for ordinary pain relief.
Exposure Theories: Conditioning Models
The basis of conditioning theories is that addiction is the cumulative result of the reinforcement of drug administration. The substance acts as a powerful reinforcer and gains control over the users behavior. In contrast to the biological models of the exposure theories, these conditioning models suggest that anyone can be driven to exhibit addictive behavior given the necessary reinforcements, regardless of their biology. The advantage of this theory is that it offers the potential for considering all excessive activities along with drug abuse within a single framework: those of highly rewarding behavior. There are many reinforcement models that have been defined including the opponent- process model of motivation and the well known classical conditioning model. Both of these models define addiction as a behavior that is refined because of the pleasure associated with its reinforcement.
Adaptation Theories
The adaptation theories include the psychological, environmental and social factors that influence addiction. Advocates of these theories have analyzed how expectations and beliefs about what a drug will do for the user influence the rewards and behaviors associated with its use. They recognize that any number of factors, including internal and external cues, as well as subjective emotional experiences, will contribute to addictive potential. They support the views that addiction involves cognitive and emotional regulation to which past conditioning contributes.
Hi Sharon Im at home answering emails galore, hope you are well
