Addiction
The Cause of Addiction
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Each year, there are more deaths and disabilities in the U.S. from substance abuse than from any other cause. In the United States alone, it is reported that roughly 18 million Americans have alcohol problems; 5 to 6 million have drug problems, and more than 9 million children live with a parent addicted to alcohol or illicit drugs. Drug addiction continues to be a growing concern, prompting medical and scientific research on a global scale into the possible causes of addiction and the various levels to which people become drug-dependent. This global issue continues to grow, prompting a rush to determine the cause in an effort to find a cure. Through research, doctors are learning of a link between the repeated uses of an addictive substance and how the human brain experiences pleasure, leading to further and more frequent use. One popular theory suggests that addiction is a disease as opposed to a learned behavior. Understanding how genetics play a part in addiction lends to further understanding of how susceptible a person may be to becoming addicted. Because rats have many similarities to human biology, science once again turns to these creatures to study the link between genetics and addiction. Through a process called “otholog mapping”, scientists have discovered 2,343 items of evidence linking 1,500 human genes to addiction. When genetic coding is then paired on a molecular level, scientists are able to “see” the changes which occur during the transference of genetics to molecular pathways. According to addiction research scientist Li C-Y’s findings, “Five molecular pathways significantly enriched for all four different types of addictive drugs were identified as common pathways”. (Li C-Y, Mao X, Wei L, 2008). The discovery of these molecular pathways is not a definitive proof of the role genetics may play in addiction, though it does help to solidify the theory that addiction is a disease. This
COM/156
Each year, there are more deaths and disabilities in the U.S. from substance abuse than from any other cause. In the United States alone, it is reported that roughly 18 million Americans have alcohol problems; 5 to 6 million have drug problems, and more than 9 million children live with a parent addicted to alcohol or illicit drugs. Drug addiction continues to be a growing concern, prompting medical and scientific research on a global scale into the possible causes of addiction and the various levels to which people become drug-dependent. This global issue continues to grow, prompting a rush to determine the cause in an effort to find a cure. Through research, doctors are learning of a link between the repeated uses of an addictive substance and how the human brain experiences pleasure, leading to further and more frequent use. One popular theory suggests that addiction is a disease as opposed to a learned behavior. Understanding how genetics play a part in addiction lends to further understanding of how susceptible a person may be to becoming addicted. Because rats have many similarities to human biology, science once again turns to these creatures to study the link between genetics and addiction. Through a process called “otholog mapping”, scientists have discovered 2,343 items of evidence linking 1,500 human genes to addiction. When genetic coding is then paired on a molecular level, scientists are able to “see” the changes which occur during the transference of genetics to molecular pathways. According to addiction research scientist Li C-Y’s findings, “Five molecular pathways significantly enriched for all four different types of addictive drugs were identified as common pathways”. (Li C-Y, Mao X, Wei L, 2008). The discovery of these molecular pathways is not a definitive proof of the role genetics may play in addiction, though it does help to solidify the theory that addiction is a disease. This
References: Andreoli M, Tessari M, Pilla M, Valerio E, Hagan JJ, Heidbreder CA (2003), Journal of Neuroscience, February 8, 2006•26(6):1872–1879 Erich Goode (2012). Drugs in American Society, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th editions, McGraw-Hill, Chapter 3/6 Erickson, C. K., & Wilcox, R. E. (2001). Neurobiological Causes of Addiction. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 1(3), 7-22 Hyman, S. E. (1996). Shaking out the cause of addiction. Science, 273(5275), 611. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/stable/2891145 Li C-Y, Mao X, Wei L (2008) Genes and (Common) Pathways Underlying Drug Addiction