“Why am I more likely to abuse drugs if my uncle did?”
I am a 38 year old male. I want to know why am I more likely to abuse drugs if my uncle did?
1 Answer
You're very unlikely to abuse drugs with a low addiction potential like aspirin, and most drugs don't carry an addiction risk. The big three that do are opioids like Norco or oxycodone, benzodiazepines like Xanax, and amphetamines like Adderall. Then there are all the street drugs with high abuse potential.
Addiction is largely an inherited disease. You don't inherit the disease per se but the risk. The more affected blood relatives, and the closer they are to you by blood, the greater the risk. So one parent, brother, or sister who's an addict or alcoholic gives you a roughly 25% chance of inheriting the risk for addiction. If your only affected blood relative is your uncle, your likelihood of being at risk is lower.
The way you can tell if you've inherited the risk is if you become really euphoric or high when you try a drug. Most of my alcoholic patients learned of the risk when they took their first drink as a young adolescent. They immediately found how much they liked the feeling of alcohol, and most drank heavily that first time. By contrast, if you don't have the risk, you're just apt to feel a little dizzy and wonder what all the fuss is about.
Environmental factors can strongly amplify or diminish risk. If you had a relatively happy childhood and have a secure future, addiction is much less likely. If you're having trouble making it or were abused as a child, that greatly amplifies risk.
Addiction is largely an inherited disease. You don't inherit the disease per se but the risk. The more affected blood relatives, and the closer they are to you by blood, the greater the risk. So one parent, brother, or sister who's an addict or alcoholic gives you a roughly 25% chance of inheriting the risk for addiction. If your only affected blood relative is your uncle, your likelihood of being at risk is lower.
The way you can tell if you've inherited the risk is if you become really euphoric or high when you try a drug. Most of my alcoholic patients learned of the risk when they took their first drink as a young adolescent. They immediately found how much they liked the feeling of alcohol, and most drank heavily that first time. By contrast, if you don't have the risk, you're just apt to feel a little dizzy and wonder what all the fuss is about.
Environmental factors can strongly amplify or diminish risk. If you had a relatively happy childhood and have a secure future, addiction is much less likely. If you're having trouble making it or were abused as a child, that greatly amplifies risk.
