• Question: Is there an aspect of an individuals DNA that dictates how vulnerable they are to addictions? And, if so, how much does it affect the person?

    Asked by anon-228667 to Jolel, Emily, Amber, Alex, Sophie on 12 Nov 2019. This question was also asked by anon-229433.
    • Photo: Jolel Miah

      Jolel Miah answered on 12 Nov 2019:

      We get all our DNA from our parents so our body will typically like our parents. So if our parents are dependent on drugs when we are born, it is likely that newborn babies will need similar drugs to keep them functioning. This is not a guarantee of course but there is clear evidence to show the link.
      Sadly some of the prisoners I meet tell me their horror of losing their child because of their drug-dependent habit.

    • Photo: Emily Mattacola

      Emily Mattacola answered on 12 Nov 2019:

      There is plenty of evidence for a connection between genes and addiction to alcohol and drugs. We think that our genes accounts for about half of the risk that a person will develop an addiction, but that also means that about half of that risk comes from other factors. We think that a person with genes that might make them more likely to become addicted to a substance is exposed to something in their environment which might trigger the gene. This could be a traumatic experience or stress and, of course, the addictive substance being available for them to get hold of.

      Genes can mean that people get a more pleasurable response in their brain to alcohol and heroin, so they are much more likely to use them and become addicted. There is also a variation of the DRD2 gene, which changes the way we respond to the chemicals our brain released for reward, called dopamine. Variations of this gene might mean that people have less of a dopamine release to everyday pleasures, so they tend to be thrill seekers who need more extreme experiences to experience the same sense of reward. People with this genetic variation are more likely to become addicts.

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