Addictions

Karen Hamlett

Professor Freeman 

English 1000 section 68

4/21/2016

Generations:

Addiction runs through the family. The risk of developing an addiction is greatly influenced by genetics. In the book called I Want to Change my Life by Steven Melemis, it states that "addiction is due 50 percent to genetic predisposition and 50 percent to poor coping skills." Many different research articles back this up. Addiction is compared to high blood pressure, heart disease, and even certain forms of cancer in the way that it involves genetics and life choices.

Don't get me wrong though, even if you have a low genetic predisposition for addiction, you can PERMANETLY rewire your brain. The more you abuse a substance, the stronger the wiring for that substance becomes, the more you'll want it, and the chance for developing an addiction grows stronger.

Gateways:

Whoever you surround yourself with, you will become like them. You can't help, but to conform to some degree.

Mudos Ponens wrote:

“If you are a human, then the biggest influence on your personality is your peer group. Choose your peers. If you want to be better at math, surround yourself with mathematicians. If you want to be more productive, hang out with productive people…”

 If you start being friends with people who give into negative habits, they will break you down until begin to think that if they do it, then it should be okay. If you try one, you will eventually go on to the next thing and the next.

No matter what people say, cigarettes are always gateways to illegal drugs, soft drugs are gateways to hard drugs.

Fading Away:

Addiction is something that completely takes over a life. It enters you and it's all you can think about. You'll want that next fix of whatever you need and you'll need it all the time. It's expensive and time consuming. You'll eventually start selling the things you love, stealing, getting high or drunk on the job, at school, or at family functions. IT TAKES OVER YOUR LIFE. Everyone around you will always find out about your addiction, always. It'll be all they see when they look at you. They'll want to help you, but they wont know how.

Help

Addiction consumes a person's life.  All they think about is when they're going to get their next fix. A person with addiction usually knows when their life begins to fall apart  and they'll want help, in the moment. They'll lose their job, lose their family, lose almost everything. In that moment of loss, they will seek help, but their addiction will pull them back. If they aren't strong enough to fight their addiction, they will be pulled back in. A person, themselves, has to fight their addiction. They have to want to stop.

References:

Enoch, M. A., & Goldman, D., The genetics of alcoholism and alcohol abuse. Curr Psychiatry Rep,                           2001. 3(2): p. 144-51.

"Family History and Genetics." Family History and Genetics. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.

"Addictions and Recovery : Genetics of Addiction." Addictions and Recovery. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.

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