People might inherit the color of their fathers’ eyes or the way they laugh. Could they also inherit their fathers’ tendencies to abuse alcohol or drugs?
This is an interesting topic. Experts still don’t have a definitive answer. Genetics is a complex topic. Addiction is also a complex topic. If you combine genetics and addiction, guess what? Things become even more complicated.
If you add the impact of environmental influences to genetics and addiction, things become even more muddled. But we’ll try to explain things anyway, at least as we understand them.
Experts believe that genetics contribute 50% of a person’s risk to become dependent on alcohol or drugs. We’ve all seen families who have higher numbers of alcohol or drug abusers than other families. Some families have greater numbers of people who have a genetic predisposition (tendency) to abuse drugs or alcohol. Studies of twins have shown that both twins often have this predisposition.
But things aren’t that simple, of course. One gene alone doesn’t determine if someone will be likely to abuse drugs or alcohol. Scientists believe that multiple genes can determine this tendency. They are still studying the interactions of these genes and how they relate to substance use disorder. As with other issues relating to addiction and genetics, there is still so much that even experts do not know.
Furthermore, a tendency to abuse alcohol or drugs is just that, a tendency. It doesn’t mean people with this tendency will abuse substances, it’s just that they have a higher likelihood to do so.
If people do abuse substances, genetics might not be the reason. It might be their environments. They might live with other people who use drugs and alcohol or have attitudes that allow or forbid such use. It’s the old nature versus nurture debate. This argument questions whether nature (genetics and biology) or nurture (environment) contribute to factors in a person’s life.
While we do not definitely know how genetics and substance use disorder are related, we are thankful for the good dads in our lives. To all you fathers out there, happy belated Father’s Day.
