Do Our Brains Determine Whether or Not We Become Drug Addicts?

Posted on July 18th, 2008 by Janelle -

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“Oh, I come from a family of alcoholics.”

“Well, my father was an alcoholic….”

“Everyone else was smoking pot; I figured one hit wouldn’t hurt me..”

The list of excuses go on and on. And would you believe that some of the very people who actually mutter these phrases believe it themselves? This leads to the bigger question: Do our brains determine whether or not we become drug addicts? After all, as most researchers have already proven, people are extremely social creatures, relying on their interactions with other human beings to not only survive but to make a halfway decent life for themselves as well. So, why should it be surprising to see so many drug and alcohol addicts relying on the false belief that somehow, they are not the ones to blame for their drug addiction problems?

How Drug and Alcohol Addiction Affects Families

Drug and alcohol addiction affects each of us in a variety of ways. Blaming your problems on a family history of drug and/or alcohol abuse does not justify your then development into becoming an addict. That being said, I tend to partially disagree with the notion that some have put forth which states that there is a correlation between brain activity and drug addiction. I say partially because I believe that a person’s mental awareness and strength has a lot, if not all, to do with whether or not they will become addicted to drugs and/or alcohol.

Most people are first introduced to drugs and alcohol in social settings (i.e. parties). Some are involuntarily introduced to it via their home situation (i.e. parents drinking or using drugs). But one thing can be said about the use of drugs and alcohol, and that is the fact that both are used in order to escape something: problems. And the last thing most people want to do is face their problems. You hear this excuse all the time:

It’s been a really stressful week at work; I can’t wait to go out and get hammered this weekend.

Until we, as individuals, learn how to deal with stress in more effective and healthy ways, we will continue to see problems among both youth and adults with drug and alcohol abuse.

For more information on drug and alcohol rehab, contact Mark Houston Recovery today!