Is Addiction Passed Along From Relatives?

[Brrrrad]

I was just wondering if maybe I could pick some brains out there for a sec. Since my father died from alcoholism and I was on my way there myself w/ booze and later w/ pills. Does it happen alot to be passed down from grandparents to parents to their children? I hate it that it ate him alive.
If anyone has an opinion that would be great.   Stay Strong  Brrrad

[Brrrrad]

I think you hit the nail on the head. You are rite and thank you......   Brad

[HelpinUtah]

Brad:
I believe it can be hereditary.  My father was a heavy drinker, my uncle was an alcoholic, my grandfather was an alcoholic and my aunt was a severe alcoholic. . . and my mother has an addictive personality to some things.  I chose to stay away from addictive things all my life until I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease and then chronic pain.  I never took anything but tylenol or ibuprofen.  Eventually, I took darvocet but a script could last for several months.  Eventually, a good friend of mine, who was addicted to Lortab started telling me that there was no reason to suffer from the pain and kept pushing me to take something stronger.  She gave me a Lortab to try and man it worked!  I spoke with my doctor and asked for Lortab and she agreed.  Eventually, the pain was under control, but then I needed more and more to control the pain as I built up a tolerance.  Then, I was taking the pills to numb feelings inside of me.  I realized I was addicted last May, but wasn't in the right place to do anything about it until September 2008.  I say this because I believe that addictive personalities run in my family and when someone pushed it I gave in and allowed myself to do what other family members had done.  I'm not sure that's the reason for everyone who becomes an addict, but for many it is the catalyst that helps make it possible for the addiction to creep in.  The sad thing for me is that I always had this under control because I knew it ran in my family - but I let my guard down just long enough that it happened.  

My suggestion is that if it runs in your family and especially if you have had an addiction that you do everything possible to educate your children so they do not fall into the same trap.  

Okay, I'm rambling now - I'll stop!  LOL!!!!

Have a great day!  
Hugs,
Janet

[Brrrrad]

There sure are alot of opinions but i guess that is what this forum is here for and i sure do appreciate it!! I have always been told that I have an addictive personality and that is why I asked the question, if I drink coffee it`s black/strong, if I lift it`s as much as i can as fast as I can or even mow the lawn as fast and perfect as i can. So i guess it is something that i will live w/. I sure wish I did`nt have this "personality".
I learned alot from all of these responses........Brad

[outotown]

I am only one in my family that is an addict, my my parents wernt, my brother and sister is not, my wife and kids are not. As a matter of fact all them could smoke for awhile and just stop for months and then smoke a few and do the same thing. Parents never drank at all. My kids 23,21,and 16 dont drink or use. But the gene must have skiped a few generations and hit me. Or do I jsut have an addictive personaliti, I go over board on anything I do, from chewing tobacco, olaying the lottorly, and drink and drugs. If iam going go get clean I have to accept that even tho i was hurt and needed the pain pills, no one but me made me take anymore than what was perscribed to me, I am responsible for my own actions and as long as i can point blame at someone eles for my actions I will never take responsiblity for me and I will never face what got me here. NOW THIS IS ME this is what i must do to get clean.

[LateAugust]

Wow  that is a hard one to know........  medically speaking  it absolutely is a  hereditary disease......  or so the experts say.      But   I also  had a daugher die from cancer at an early age    again the medical field originally said  it was hereditary.......  but it wasn't,  no cancer on either  side in the  maternal or paternal family history.  So  her cancer  was an anomoly...    she was way too young  and too healthy when diagnoised,  but  the fact of the matter is  or was  she had terminal cancer.   And didnt fit into the box of a medical explanation.

Our second daughter.......  was her addiction due to socialogical  or  emotional   or   environment   or  a broken heart?     Was it because her parents were so broken from their loss they missed the "signs" of drug addiction?     Again,   the reason was not the issue   or  the cure all,  her life struggle was just as hard as the cancer diagnosis of our other child.   And once again we didnt fit the norm of the medical field of predisposition for addiction   as with  Mindy's  cancer.......

If you have addiction in your family,   please disuss this with your children.   And sometimes  we just have to live with the hand we are dealt, with out absolutley any explanation that fits the medical professional mode of the "norm".     That norm isnt always applicable,  we just need to use the info to the best of our abiltiy for our situations.

[chanandalerbong1]

then what about those who had a great life growing up, wonderful parents, and yet still end up using? this is the age old nature versus nurture... and quite frankly i would say both can be a factor. i have a VERY long list of addicts in my family and i had a pretty descent childhood compared to most... but yet all it took for me was one accident and that first pill. the other point i want to make about "choosing" to use is that again i dont think you could find one person that would say i took am oxy because i plan on getting addicted and especially not the younger people who become addicted. legal or not. also, a lot of addicts have some form of mental and/or emotional stress. take anxiety for example. someone suffering from debilitating anxiety will do ANYTHING to stop the attacks just long enough to go to the store and come back. they just want to stop feeling like that. and then they somehow get a hold of an opiate and "oh my gosh, im not having a panic attack!" so they keep taking it and feel great til they realize what the little pill is doing to everything and everyone else in their life. that would be like saying you slept with someone because you wanted to get an std. its insane. even if there is no "good" reason for someone to start using, they never did it because they wanted to get addicted.... especially for those predisposed to addiction. oh and ijust found this on an addictions study fact sheet- facts based on a study with 1360 subjects from NYC with varying drugs and dosages selected from a random drawing of applications. out of those subjects 51% of them had addction(s) within their immediate family and 88% of the subjects had an addiction(s) some where in their extended family. the findings also showed that 76% of the subjects had suffered some form of mental and/or emotional damage which lead to their first encounter with drugs. i respect everyones honest opinion, but i could not disagree more with the notion that "addicts choose their addiction .... just my opinion...

*Kristen*

[outofmymind82]

I couldnt agree with you more Kristain!! I would have NEVER taken that first pill if I knew it would cause this much harm to me and my family. My mom is going through some things cause of these da*n things that I thought I would never have to witness and my stupid self is following down her path, if im not careful i will end up right where she is. I know she will dye and early death, she is only 45 and Im pretty sure she wont live to 55. I know alot of you out there know how that is!! So, like I said, I agree with Kristen!! I would give anything to have my normal life back and my mothers for anything in this world!!

ps. can anyone tell me more about this L-Tyrosine?? I want to try it out but i need to know...does it give the energy boost like the vics and the happy feeling?? I take the vics strictly for the energy boost and i think if I cant find something to replace that then I will be able to put the pills down!! If not the L-Tyrosine then does anyone have any other suggestions?? thank you very much!!

~*Missy*~

[chanandalerbong1]

sorry but i completely disagree. its been medically proven thats there is absolutely a genetic component behind addiction. that doesnt mean if there are no addicts in your family it cant happen to you....and i am highly offended at the phrase "addicts make the choice to use" thats such BS. youre right; after getting into a car accident with my husband who almost died and shattering both femurs, fracturing vertabrae, and recovering for almost a full year i chose to get addicted to the pills that were making it managable to live. you think ANYONE would choose a life of lying, stealing, almost killing yourself? you find one person that would honestly say "yes, i knew i would be addicted. i knew i would steal and lie and turn tricks to get my fix. i knew i would lose my family and everyone who loves me. i knew i would attempt suicide." if you can find me that person who will say that- then i may one day agree that an addict chooses to be one. im not trying to be rude or not take responsibilty for myself because i did that when i admitted my problem and got help for it- but d*mn it! i would have never even taken one pill if i knew where i would end up 6 years later. im sorry, but i dont t think anyone of us on here would have either...

*Kristen*  

[mchiurazzi]

very tru about how your raised while your a todler sittin there playin watchin grandpa and dad kick back beer after beer its stored subconsiously and you then percive that thats accaptable behavior. children are affected by our every little action thats why setting examples is so important. no one is pre destine to be an addict we all make our own choices. just my thoughts

[td188]

that maybe true but it is also how you are raised.

[jollyman069]

I think if the parent has an addictive personality then the children can too

[minim]

hmm- not sure if i believe 'addiction' is passed down genetically- no one in my family has been addicted to anything....
which is why it makes my problem that much harder to admit to myself and my family...

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

I also believe that there is a genetic component to addiction.  Many addictionologists say that the affliction is disease and that there are only a few ways out of paying the consequences.  Jail., death, or a lifelong effort to keep clean are a few. The prognosis is bleak unless you accept treatment. Addiction is a disease that keeps demanding increasing and large amounts  ....and that will kill you if left unatternded.  And addiction is also characterized by constant relapse.  Be strong, Brad - and stay on your toes............

[wildwoodone]

Yes it has been medically been proven that addiction is hereditary.  My father was an alcoholic, I think my sister probably is and I am/was a pill head.  

[outotown]

I think an addictive personality is passed down, but you have to be the one to take drugs to get addicted and you have to be the one to drink to become an alcoholic.

[merrymaria]

i think it most definitely does...my father was an alcoholic...so was his father...i did it with pills...addictive personality is passed down somehow i believe...maria

[Sophie08]

I have been dealing with a detox doctor and he told me very specifically that addiction is hereditary. Sorry....  probably not the best news. It just means that you have to VERY careful, as do I. It's something that you can pass to your kids as well. Again, this is according to my doctor. Good luck man!