Does Addiction Run In Your Family? 7 Signs to Look Out For

small bottle of brandy poking out of the pocket of a pair of blue jeans suggesting the person had addiction issues

Tendencies to develop substance dependency can be biologically inherited. Your genes play a huge role in determining whether or not you will become an addict, as they can be more vulnerable to substance abuse. When a person uses drugs for a certain length of time, his or her brain structure and functionality change.

This brain change may be brought about by a type of gene mutation, which is passed on from one offspring to another. The offspring of an addict grows up with genes that can influence how he or she responds when exposed to the substance in question.

Some individuals are more likely to exhibit issues associated with substance dependencies, such as impulsivity and poor emotion regulation skills. Dependence can also develop in children who grew up in homes where they were exposed to excessive drug use. From a young age, children watch adults use drugs and they may try to emulate this vice.

You can tell if substance dependency is more likely to run in your family by looking out for the signs below:

1. Dysfunctional Families

Substance abuse is a popular resort for people facing negative mentions like stress and depression. Drugs and alcohol can offer a quick fix to reduce anxiety and calm thoughts. Children who grew up in homes where parents self-medicate with drugs are much more likely to develop this habit themselves.

Some environmental influences may also trigger this practice. If a family member chooses to use alcohol or drugs as a way to deal with life stressors, he or she is at a higher risk of substance dependency. To break this cycle, you need to hold an addiction intervention.

2. Depression or Anxiety

When an individual grows up in an addicts’ family, they may face both physical and emotional abuse. The child may develop anxiety or depression later on in life because they were unable to learn how to manage their emotions during childhood.

3. Hiding Their Emotions

You can tell if there is a substance dependency problem in the family when children in their teens or older years block or constrict their feelings. People with a substance dependency background show a restricted range of affection and lack of real expression of emotions. They cannot deal with emotional situations. For example, they do not grieve, even when they lose a loved one.

4. Difficulty in Reason

The genetic mutation passed on causes difficulties in explaining and understanding the things around them. These children will try to make meaning of things that seem senseless to ordinary people. Individuals with substance dependency issues in their families have a complex reasoning ability since there thinking is somehow distorted.

5. Lack of Trust

Mistrust is a common trait in children who have lived in a household with drug users. Drug addicts may not give their kids the love and care they deserve. These kids grow up with mistrust since they themselves have experienced neglect and insecure attachments.

6. Unable To Self-Regulate

The substance dependency problem that has been passed on genetically can cause impairments within the limbic system and prefrontal cortex. Children may become highly impulsive and reckless in their decisions since they have deregulated emotions.

7. Extreme Vigilance

Exposure to an addict’s environment makes a person worry excessively. A child will become extremely alert since they live in fear of the occurrence of danger.

*collaborative post

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