What Does Nature Vs. Nurture: What Role Does Environment Play In Addiction?

The concept that drugs abuse and being more likely to inherit the likelyhood of being addicted has always intrigued me. It intrigues me because it makes sense. Why is it that people pick up smoking cigarettes after the first time? Or people of Native American descent are more likely than most ethnic groups to be alcoholics? There is the whole concept of nature v. Nurture. Our surrounding pre-determine our likelylihood of becoming addicted based on if one of our parents drank. But what if it's more than that? What if what we are inheriting is not the behavior immersed around us, although that does play a factor, but the genetics behind the initial addiction?

Psychology is a developing science which studies the mental functions, processes, and behaviors of an individual. In the science of psychology, many debates arise; nature vs. nurture is one of the most popular ones. These psychological debates are followed by research, backing up either nature or nurture or both. Nature suggest heredity impacts human psychological development; nurture suggests the environment impacts our psychological development. Addiction plays a large role in nature vs. nurture. Addiction is defined as a person being attached to a certain activity or item; an addict is one who has a dependency on particular substances or activity. There are many debates on whether addiction is caused by genes or the environment. Many researchers believe if they had the answer of addiction being a genetic condition or an environmental factor, they would be able to resolve the problem of addicts, or so they believe.

Although the collection of findings from several types of genetically informative research designs does provide compelling evidence for the influence of genetics and heritability on the risk for addiction, they do

Genetic factors have been directly linked to the risk of an individual’s vulnerability to addiction (APA, 2008). In addition, other risk factors that play a

Consider the following scenario: John and his mother are both alcoholics. John has been exposed to his mother’s inappropriate relationship with alcohol since before he was born. In the age-old debate of nature vs. nurture, some would say it was merely natural for John to follow his mother’s path, a la the apple does not fall far from the tree—his addiction was inherited. Others would argue that John’s childhood experiences and home environment led him on the road to addiction. Many might question whether John would have fared better if he had been raised elsewhere. While John may have been a victim of circumstance or fate, a completely different angle can be considered. Perhaps John’s alcoholism is a genetic result—a result that was influenced by his unfortunate environmental factors. In other words, John inherited his nature via his nurture. The positions surrounding the explanation of John’s outcome have been debated for centuries by ordinary people, philosophers, geneticists and psychologists. With recent advancements, a second genome has been recognized and established as the “epigenome,” which is directly influenced by the outside environment (Francis). While extreme positions still exist within the nature vs. nurture debate, most scientists now agree that a combination of the two determines one's outcome; with the burgeoning field of epigenetics, however, the ability to overcome one's genes, to some extent, ends the debate and offers hope that can be viewed as American

It involves various factors, theories, and health risks, all of which are the foundations of personal philosophies of how addiction works. From a psychological perspective, numerous theories and explanations that deal with addiction exist. According to Burns (1997) as cited in Hanson, Venturewlli, and Fleckenstein (2009), “the explanations can include escape from reality, boredom, inability to cope with anxiety, destructive self-indulgence, to the point of constantly desiring intoxicants, blind compliance with drug-abusing peers, self-destructiveness, and conscious and unconscious ignorance regarding the harmful effects” (p. 57). Substance use disorders, such as alcohol, have indeed been linked to genetic and other biological components; however, this link was nourished and shaped by psychological, cultural, and social comments. For a theory to be truly effective, it must provide more, be more, than a mere acknowledgement a genetic predisposition. Rather, it should encompass their culture and lifestyles, immediate environmental influences, community and social

Addiction is problem within society. People associate addiction with drugs but a person can be addicted to several different variables such as drugs, alcohol, food, sex, gambling and exercise. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines addiction as “a strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as a drug) or do something (such as gamble)” and “an unusually great interest in something or a need to do or have something” (Merriam-Webster, 2015). With that being said, I will focus mainly on drug and alcohol addiction in this paper. There are numerous theories and models on why addiction occurs but I strongly favor gene-environment theory. I have always thought genetics and environment has a powerful impact on how people develop addiction.

Every addiction originates for varies reasons, no single gene has been found to be related to addiction itself. It takes several different genes in combination to contribute to addiction. However, these genes only make that person susceptible does not mean you can not overcome the addiction. If there is a family history of drug abuse might mean it may be a little harder but with the right treatment the addict is able to overcome his addiction (Drug Addiction Help, n.d).

Abraham’s addiction to alcohol could be caused by processes in the brain, such as neurotransmitters and by hormones, it has been proven that alcohol addiction can be caused by genetics. There is also a gene that affects the amount of alcohol that people drink, this means that some people like Abraham may have a predisposition to drink a greater amount of alcohol that other people. There also a difference in the genetics factors, regarding alcohol consumption and alcohol dependency.

Ellis and Zucker believe genetic risk factors play a role in the acquisition of alcoholism, such as physiological responses to alcohol, and the process of metabolization. They feel inherited biology is a significant area where familial influence can influence a child in developing alcoholism. However, Ellis and Zucker go on to say that the child¡¦s psychosocial environment cannot be ignored, since there is much familial influence in this realm as well (Ellis & Zucker, 1997).

“There is no such gene or genes present in an individual with addiction. Even if a person’s father or mother or both are addicts, it does not mean, children will be too. The fact is that most people get addicted due to the influence of their environment or to experience it for the first time. The addiction gene gives a false sense of confidence and paradoxically discourages others from seeking treatment.”

A person’s genetic structure, passed on from their parents, is responsible for both their physical and behavioral characteristics. People who have inherited genes responsible for alcoholism from their parents will automatically be prone to addiction. There is not one single gene that passes alcoholism down through one’s children. Identifying each specific gene involved in alcoholism

Medical researchers found out that “most diseases including addiction are complex, and variations in many different genes contribute to person’s overall level of risk or protection.” Article also further discuss that the National Institute on Drug Abuse research has led to findings that the person’s environment affect drug use. Lastly it mentioned that the structure of DNA can be remodeled due to environmental exposures or choices people make. That means that for example when a person uses cocaine, it can mark their DNA, increasing the production of proteins common in addiction. I believe that both specific environmental factors and genetics factors affect the risk of developing addiction. I think social environment is significant factor that contribute to whether an individual chooses to use substances. Some genes can’t be expressed without environmental

The genetic markers can increase a persons addiction and make them susceptible to substance addiction, which will display through generation as an abusive behavior. Alcoholism has a dependency that effects the decision making and character of the individual, who is inflicted with the disorder. People dealing with substance abuse disorder generally have a dependency on drugs or substances and is unable to function properly without it. Since alcoholism can be hereditary, it can impact generations. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information it is proven to be hereditary, e.g., identical twins that are born to parents who are alcohol dependent are separated at birth and raise in a completely different environment will grow-up

It is also possible that heroin addiction is similar to alcohol dependence, which has been found to be genetic. For example, children of alcoholics are said to be 4 times as likely to become alcoholics as opposed to people without family history of alcoholism. However, part of this amount of risk can be accounted for by environmental