The Addictive Personality.

It has long been asked if there is such thing as an Addictive Personality. As you’ve grown up perhaps you’ve noticed some of your friends have become dependent on substances like caffeine or nicotine. But is this just a personality trait, or something more? Research has shown that it could be rooted in one’s DNA. According to research done at the University of Utah, an ‘addiction gene’ wouldn’t mean that someone is bound to become addicted, but rather “it may be harder for people with certain genes to quit once they start.”  

In recent studies, and Alcoholic gene, DRD2, “was present in more than two-thirds of 35 deceased alcoholics, whereas it appeared only in one-fifth of 35 deceased non-alcoholics.” This confirms that if a parent is an alcoholic, it is more likely for their children to be alcoholics as well.  According to Web MD, the genetic trait is considered a deficiency. It seems to have no contributing factor to our species survival. Additionally no scientist has presented a strong theory on why the gene developed in the first place, beside it being a random genetic mutation.

 In the same way that the 'Fat Gene' shouldn't be a scapegoat for obesity, the 'Addiction Gene' shouldn't allow the addicted to use this as an excuse for their condition. There is, of course, no cure for our own genes. The only thing that can be done is to avoid easily abused substances in the first place.