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Ask Dr. Sue
ALCOHOLISM AND FAMILY HEREDITY
Dear Dr. Sue,
I have two young sons (not in school yet), and something
that I've been worried about for awhile now. My
family, and my husband's family, too, has a huge number
of people who were alcoholics in the past several
generations, and now in the younger adults a lot of them
have their lives messed up by drugs. I'm so afraid
that my boys will be doomed to this type of problem
because it is present in the family so strongly.
Does having an addictive personality run in the family?
Dear Mom,
I certainly understand your worry, and your desire to
protect your sons from following the same path that so
many in the family have taken. There is some
research that suggests that there may be a genetic
tendency to develop addiction, although no specific gene
has been identified. Boys, even more than girls,
have a higher risk of developing addictive behaviors if
there is a biological relative with alcohol or drug
addiction. The experts feel strongly, however,
that no one is predestined to become an addict.
The existence of a specific addictive personality
disorder was believed in until about twenty or thirty
years ago, but extensive research failed to support that
theory. There do seem to be certain personality
characteristics and/or psychiatric diagnoses that
increase a person's risk for drug addiction.
Personality characteristics:
1. Sensation seekers: Some people feel driven to
continually seek out new and exciting experiences, and
then derive more pleasure from the new activity than the
average person would.
2. Impulsive people: These people find it
difficult to control their behavior, and are not good at
weighing future consequences.
3. Anxious people: These people may tend to
self-treat when they feel overwhelmed by anxiety and the
stress it generates.
There are many diagnoses that are commonly associated
with substance addiction, and many of those diagnoses
tend to run in families. These disorders include
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, which, when
left untreated, certainly raises the risk of substance
abuse. (Many parents fear that treating the
disorder may lead to substance abuse, but research has
proven that the opposite is true.) Bipolar
Disorder (Manic Depressive illness) carries with it a
higher risk of substance abuse, and some experts feel
that the combination of Bipolar Disorder with
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder carries a
particularly high risk of addiction.
Equally important, if not more so, are the following
risk factors for substance abuse, as identified by the
National Institute of Drug Addiction:
-
Chaotic home environment, in which
parents abuse substances or suffer from mental
illness
-
A disadvantaged environment
-
Poor academic performance
-
Deviant peer influence
-
Availability of alcohol and other
drugs
-
Belief that substance use is the norm
-
Ineffective parenting
-
Lack of mutual attachments
-
Lack of problem-solving skills
-
Rejection by peers
The bottom line is that every addict is a
unique mix of genetics, upbringing, personality
characteristics, environmental factors, and life events.
Your job is to control the factors in your sons' lives
that you can control. Their genetic makeup is
beyond your control; but even in identical twin studies
the presence of addiction in one twin does not guarantee
that the other twin will become an addict (though his
risk is higher than the average population). Below
are some of the tools at your disposal (some of these
suggestions are from the National Youth Anti-Drug Media
Campaign):
-
Make clear rules for your kids and
enforce them consistently.
-
Know where they are at all times, who
they are with, how to reach them, and when they'll
be home
-
Praise their positive behavior.
-
Rehearse some ways to say no to
drugs, so they'll have a face-saving way of turning
them down.
-
Spend quality time with each child
individually at least once a week.
-
Open an ongoing dialogue about the
risks of drug abuse, such as doing poorly in school
or disappointing the family.
-
Be a Good Role Model. Your
children are watching what YOU do very closely, and
actions speak much more loudly than words.
-
Don't ignore signs of distress.
If your child is floundering in school, is in
trouble with teachers all of the time, or seems
chronically sad or angry, have him evaluated.
Trust your instincts about this; you know your child
better than anyone else does.
-
Educate. Repeatedly make your
sons aware of your feelings about drugs and alcohol.
Make sure they know that you do not want them to use
them, ever. As they get older, talk to them
about their family history and the likelihood that
they may find it harder to walk away from drugs or
alcohol if they ever get involved with them.
-
Expose your children to activities
that they can develop a strong interest in, such as
sports, art, music, reading, or drama. This
may have the added benefit of giving them a peer
group which is active and involved in life.
Suggested reading: National Institute on
Drug Abuse. "Preventing Drug Use Among Children and
Adolescents." Washington, D.C: National Institutes of
Health, 1997.
 
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