Three main areas in life can play a role in whether or not someone develops a substance use disorder (SUD), abuses drugs, or becomes exposed to alcohol and other intoxicants. These areas include genetics, living and working environment, and development and experiences throughout life.
How Biology and Childhood Development Play a Role in Addiction
Scientists and researchers understand that genes have as much as 60% to do with an individual’s chances of becoming addicted to a substance. These specific predictive genes are called epigenes. Scientists also understand that people with a history of mental health disorders are more genetically predisposed to addiction. Gender, ethnicity, and certain cultural identities can also impact someone’s chances of developing an addiction.
It’s important, however, to remember that no one gene itself causes addiction. There’s no way to avoid certain genes in order to weed addiction out of your family. And having the genetic markers for addiction does not mean a person will become addicted. The same is true with trauma: while childhood abuse and neglect can lead to addiction, not everyone who experiences childhood trauma will become addicted. Addiction is never purely genetic or purely environmental.
When an addiction may develop or later flare up is greatly influenced by the environment a person finds themselves in and the experiences they lived through as a youngster.
How Your Environment Can Put You At Risk For Addiction
When trying to understand how biology impacts addiction rates, it’s helpful to take a deeper look into how society may treat certain sexes, genders, and races poorly—or more poorly than others overall.
Black and brown people in the United States face added discrimination and societal roadblocks to success, and they also seem to inherently mistrust the effectiveness of prescription medication. This could be why these populations tend to be less susceptible to prescribed painkiller abuse, for example. However, both groups tend to struggle overall with non-prescription drug addictions.
Across cultures and ethnicities in the United States, it’s no secret that family tragedy, poor economic prospects, and lower quality of life all heighten the chances of addiction. In adolescence, many teens face peer pressure, experience sexual abuse, navigate exposure to alcohol and drugs, and can be poorly or positively influenced by parental influences.
It’s also likely that the earlier a child or teen tries drugs, the more likely they will be to develop an addiction as an adult. Teens are particularly vulnerable when it comes to addiction, as their stage in the developmental process makes risk-taking and poor judgment much more prevalent than they would be in most adults.
Receive Residential Addiction Treatment in Port Matilda, PA, With St. Joseph
St. Joseph Institute in Port Matilda exists to help people who are struggling with alcohol or drug addiction, as well as any co-occurring mental health disorders. We can help you and your loved one with the following drug addiction treatment services:
- Alcohol addiction treatment
- Heroin addiction and abuse treatment
- Meth addiction services
- Safely monitored detox programs
Most importantly, we’re also here to treat the underlying mental health issues that so often pave the way to addiction and psychological distress. Stay positive, understand that no one factor causes addiction, and contact us immediately with questions or concerns!
