According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “The genes that people are born with account for about half of a person’s risk for addiction. Gender, ethnicity, and the presence of other mental disorders may also influence risk for drug use and addiction.” Knowing this is a vital aspect for choosing a treatment program to successfully address alcohol use disorder (AUD) and substance use disorder (SUD). However, it’s also important to understand the balance between risk factors and preventative factors.
What Do We Inherit?
Some health conditions are genetic. For example, sickle cell disease, a condition that affects red blood cells, might be passed down to children if both parents are carriers of its abnormal gene. Mutations of certain genes may also cause breast and prostate cancer in multiple generations. Other chronic illnesses, such as diabetes or heart disease, might also present in people if they have a genetic predisposition and something in their lifestyle or environment triggers them.
NIDA clarifies that genes and environmental stressors on gene expression represent 40–60 percent of a person’s AUD or SUD risk. Certain mental health disorders can also be hereditary. They include:
- ADHD
- Anxiety
- Autism
- Bipolar disorder
- Borderline personality disorder
- Chronic pain
- Depression
- Schizophrenia
While there’s not a technical classification of a heritable “addictive personality” as a single entity, there are several traits that co-exist with AUD or SUD that might be, including impulsive tendencies, nonconformity, and an impairment of metabolic, physiological, or psychological processes.
It’s also possible that some people inherit higher levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter in your brain’s reward center. Dysregulation of this chemical frequently prompts poor impulse control. A 2023 NIDA genome study suggests “that genetic variation in dopamine signaling regulation, rather than in dopamine signaling itself, is central to addiction risk.” However, biology isn’t an absolute causation factor for addiction.
Understanding Other Risk Factors
While genetic predisposition is a strong contributing cause for this brain disease, early life experiences, external surroundings, and psychological issues play pivotal roles, too. Let’s take a closer look.
Development
This refers to the influence of early life experiences. Adolescents, whose brains won’t mature until their mid-to-late 20s, are more susceptible to addictive behavior. This is because the neural pathways involved in reward and impulse control are still forming, which means a teen’s brain is more sensitive to substances.
Environment
People are often influenced by their surroundings. Growing up in an environment with substance abuse, peer pressure, or high-stress levels increases the likelihood of developing addictive behaviors. Social norms, accessibility to drugs or alcohol, and familial influences all shape your relationship with alcohol and drugs.
Trauma
This is a powerful factor. People with adverse childhood experiences, such as abuse, neglect, or other traumatic events, may turn to substances as a coping mechanism. Trauma alters brain function and emotional regulation, leading to a higher risk of developing AUD or SUD as individuals try to escape their emotional pain.
Why Protective Factors Make a Difference
It’s essential to point out that while AUD and SUD may be heritable diseases, there are also critical protective factors that help mitigate genetic risks. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) describes these as “positive countering effects”.
For example, if someone’s parent struggles with unmanaged mental illness or uses alcohol and other substances, or if this individual suffers through adverse childhood experiences, these are serious addiction risk factors. On the other hand, if they have supportive family involvement or other guiding adults and mentors, these are protective factors.
SAMHSA also indicates that “risk and protective factors within one particular context—such as the family—may also influence or be influenced by factors in another context. Effective parenting has been shown to mediate the effects of multiple risk factors, including poverty, divorce, parental bereavement, and parental mental illness.”
The Addiction Policy Forum further states that while a “genetic constellation” may exist in someone’s life, protective factors in multiple categories reinforce wellness in other ways, too. “At the individual level, protective factors include positive self-image, self-control, and good social skills. At the family, school, and community level, they include external factors, such as parental involvement in their lives, positive mentoring relationships, participation in after-school activities, and policies limiting substance availability in their neighborhood.”
Usually, a protective focus is directed toward children and adolescents. However, every adult concerned about chemical dependency has the potential to evaluate their background and family history, take stock of their current circumstances, and choose to make positive life changes.
Find Quality Care at Northern Path
Overcoming addiction isn’t just about stopping the use of drugs or alcohol—it’s about healing the whole person. A holistic approach addresses the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of recovery, giving you the tools to rebuild a balanced, healthy, and fulfilling life.
At Northern Path Recovery Center in Fort Wayne, IN, we know that with the right combination of evidence-based treatment and complementary holistic therapies, AUD and SUD are treatable, manageable, and recovery is achievable. We offer a combination of individual, group, family, and trauma counseling so you can use information from your past to create a better future. Call our admissions team to learn how we can help.
