Is this real?

[BrokenBoy]

Ok so my parents used to suffer from substance addiction, dad was addicted with cocaine and my mom was addicted to heroin. My mom warned me that because I have a "genetic disposition" towards heroin addiction, I will be addicted even if I did it once. Is what she's talking about scientific? Can someone have a genetic disposition towards abusing substances?

 

[GadAbout]

Yes.

Do you want to try it and find out your mom was right?

 

[Major Tom]

Heroin is highly addictive. Also, addiction does tend to be hereditary. That being said, all drugs react with people differently, so you can't ever say for sure what will happen.
I've done both drugs and was never addicted, but I'd advise to stay away from drugs. Life is hard enough without them.

 

[Fino]

Yes, "addictive personalities," are a thing, and it's me. Whatever it is that I do, I'm addicted to it, so I just have to try to choose healthy things, like running.

"I'm gonna start running."

*few months later runs a marathon*

 

[Baeraad]

Yes, "addictive personalities," are a thing, and it's me. Whatever it is that I do, I'm addicted to it, so I just have to try to choose healthy things, like running.

"I'm gonna start running."

*few months later runs a marathon*

Same here, with the exception that something can't hurt like crazy from the first second, or else I won't have time to get addicted to it.

But yeah, it's the reason why I'm really-really-really careful with drinking. Having a glass of wine or two is fine, it's not enough to affect me, but I feel like if I actually got used to getting drunk, I'd start drowning my sorrows left and right and end up with a bundle of additional sorrows because of it.

 

[Suzanne]

No and I know that I am contradiciting, but think of it this way? It would have to be written in your dna code that you would become a drug addict, which it is not.

However, it could be invironmental, due to the fact that both your parents are adicts and therefore, with this "teaching" you could pick up the.
habit.

My husband's mother, father and only brother, were all alcholics, but my husband is not and he enjoys drink, but due to his parents and our faith, this helps him to not be like them. It is also the same with divorce. It is said that if you come from a divorced family environment, you will also end up that way. Well, my husband's mother and father divorced when he was a child and he and I just celebrated our 28 and that makes us longer married than them!

I was abused sexually, does that mean I am predisposed to abusing myself? Not at all! In fact, I abhore what is done to children.

I am the only one, of my family and there is 5 children, who has never smoked, but by all so called reasoning, I should be a smoker too.

In fact, having family who are addicts, can cause us to not be like them.

 

[Starfire]

The answer is no, not necessarily. The evidence often used for this is are the Vietnam vets who had easy access to very cheap and pure heroin and became addicts. When they returned to the USA however, the vast majority never used heroin again. More details here -

How Vietnam War Veterans Broke Their Heroin Addictions

I was a heroin addict for a long time too, I got married, did a methadone detox, and have never used again apart from once in a lot of years. Situations and circumstances foster addiction or sobriety, it’s not automatic based on parents.

I noticed you said your parents “used to” suffer from addiction therefore they don’t now. If addiction is in your genes it would there permanently surely, like autism, and not something that can be switched on or off.

Anyway regardless of it all, once you get into drugs it’s very hard to get out of and I would strongly advise against bothering, no good will come from it.

If you are interested in autism and addiction I highly recommend this book which I found extremely interesting and helpful. It’s written by a lady on the spectrum -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unbroken-B...nding-Addiction-ebook/dp/B014PF3P84/ref=nodl_

 

[NothingToSeeHere]

Some people have a genetic vulnerability to addiction, that is a fact. It's been studied extensively. However, you cannot inherit an addiction to a specific substance, unless your mother used while you were in utero in which case you would have been born an addict ( see neonatal abstinence syndrome).

Also, just because your parent were addicts doesn't mean that you have that genetic vulnerability. If they have those genes you didn't necessarily get it from them, and we don't know if they have those genes to begin with. Both heroine and cocaine are highly addictive, anyone can get addicted to them regardless of their genes.

She's not wrong that you could become addicted after just using once. "Don't do it because of your genes" seems like a bit of an odd argument for not using though, how about the fact that taking such highly addictive and damaging drugs at all is just straight up stupid for anyone?

 

[Fino]

Same here, with the exception that something can't hurt like crazy from the first second, or else I won't have time to get addicted to it.

But yeah, it's the reason why I'm really-really-really careful with drinking. Having a glass of wine or two is fine, it's not enough to affect me, but I feel like if I actually got used to getting drunk, I'd start drowning my sorrows left and right and end up with a bundle of additional sorrows because of it.

You're right! That's what I did! So keep being careful!

 

[Intensate]

hi many autistic people like to have a routine ,so drugs and drink often end up being a part of that routine.

 

[Scott_Milk]

I definitely know that addictive personalities are a thing. My brother is easily addicted to many drugs like weed, acid, shrooms etc. and keep in mind he is only 20 and has been doing them since he was at most 16. Meanwhile, I on the other hand have tried stuff like weed but have absolutely no desire to try it again. So that does lead me to wonder if it is genetic since we are indeed of the same biological parents.

 

[NothingToSeeHere]

I definitely know that addictive personalities are a thing. My brother is easily addicted to many drugs like weed, acid, shrooms etc. and keep in mind he is only 20 and has been doing them since he was at most 16. Meanwhile, I on the other hand have tried stuff like weed but have absolutely no desire to try it again. So that does lead me to wonder if it is genetic since we are indeed of the same biological parents.

Well having the same parents doesn't mean having all the same genes, but since weed, LSD, and psilocybin are not chemically addictive it is most likely psychological which is of course highly influenced by life experiences.