Is Drug Addiction Genetic?

Does Addiction Run in Your Genes?

Is drug addiction genetic? Why do some people become addicted while others don’t? Family studies that include identical twins, fraternal twins, adoptees, and siblings suggest that as much as half of a person’s risk of becoming addicted to nicotine, alcohol, or other drugs depends on his or her genetic makeup or inherited traits. Finding the biological basis for this risk is an important avenue of research for scientists trying to solve the problem of drug addiction.

The risk of developing drug and alcohol problems is higher in children whose parents abuse alcohol or drugs—but it is NOT a guarantee. Research shows that children with parents who abuse alcohol or drugs are more likely to try alcohol or drugs and develop alcoholism or drug addiction. Why?

• Children whose parents abuse alcohol and drugs are more likely to have behavioral problems, which increases the risk of trying alcohol or drugs. They are also exposed to more opportunities to try these substances.
• Plus, children of parents who abuse drugs may inherit a genetic predisposition (or greater likelihood) for addiction—having an “addictive personality,” so to speak.

Is drug addiction genetic? Most children of parents who abuse alcohol or drugs do not develop alcoholism or addiction themselves, so your genes do not write your destiny to become addicted to drugs. BUT to avoid that risk entirely, it’s best not to start, and if you’ve already tried drugs or alcohol, stop now. [1]

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Is There an Addictive Gene? How are Addiction Genes Tested?

Genetic tests are done using a blood or spit sample and results are usually ready in a few weeks. Because we share DNA with our family members, if you are found to have a genetic change, your family members may have the same change. Genetic counseling before and after genetic testing can help make sure that you are the right person in your family to get a genetic test, you’re getting the right genetic test, and that you understand your results. [2]

Reasons for Genetic Testing

• To learn whether you have a genetic condition that runs in your family before you have symptoms
• To learn about the chance a current or future pregnancy will have a genetic condition
• To diagnose a genetic condition if you or your child has symptoms
• To understand and guide your cancer prevention or treatment plan

Environmental Factors that Impact Addiction

Is drug addiction genetic? Accumulating evidence suggests that environmental factors, such as stress, induce epigenetic changes that can trigger the development of psychiatric disorders and drug addiction. Epigenetic changes refer to regulations of gene expression that do not involve alterations in the sequence of the genetic material (DNA) itself. Practically, epigenetic changes are information that is added to already existing genetic material but can affect the expression of genes.

A stressful situation, such as the death of a significant other or the loss of a job, triggers the release of steroid hormones called glucocorticoids. Those stress hormones trigger alterations in many systems throughout the body, induce epigenetic changes, and regulate the expression of other genes in the brain. One of the systems that are affected by stress hormones is the brain’s reward circuitry. The interaction between stress hormones and the reward system can trigger the development of addiction, as well as a stress-induced relapse in drug or alcohol recovery. [3]

Are Genes Related to Addiction?

Is drug addiction genetic? Genetics is the study of genes. Genes are functional units of DNA that make up the human genome. They provide the information that directs a body’s basic cellular activities. Research on the human genome has shown that, on average, the DNA sequences of any two people are 99.9 percent the same. However, that 0.1 percent variation is profoundly important—it accounts for three million differences in the nearly three billion base pairs of DNA sequences! These differences contribute to visible variations, like height and hair color, and invisible traits, such as the increased risk for or protection from certain diseases such as heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and drug addiction. [4]

Over the last decade, the prevalence of opioid addiction has increased to epidemic levels, but therapeutic interventions for addiction treatment remain limited. [5] We need to better understand the triggers for the development of addiction to develop more targeted prevention and treatments.

One of the critical questions that researchers in neuropsychiatry are trying to answer is why some people are more vulnerable to addiction. As in most psychiatric disorders, genetic and environmental factors determine how vulnerable or likely, you are to develop a substance use disorder.