Addiction: Genetic And Experiential Factors

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The term addiction originates from the Latin words for both “bound to” and “enslaved by”; a fitting ideology for those experiencing the symptoms of addiction through a loved one, or even personally. Addiction ranges from a number of categories. For instance, food, sex, gambling, alcohol, and drugs can give rise to addiction, among numerous others. Descriptive of all these examples, addictive substances are characterized by two principles: reinforcing stimuli and rewarding outcome. Addiction is a medical condition distinguished by biological and psychological factors. These factors, after repeated exposure of a rewarding stimuli, give rise to changes in learning and memory. However, addiction has not always been perceived as a medical condition. In the 1900’s, addiction was not discerned as a …show more content…

Studies on families and twins have demonstrated a genetic influence in the development of drug addiction. The contribution of genetics to addiction is relatively high, with rates ranging from 40-60 percent, although the exact role of genes is not yet fully characterized (Gardner 2011). Experiential factors also contribute to the disease of addiction. Just as nature vs. nurture is not an either or ideology, neither is this. Both genetic and experiential factors work together to create the addiction behavioral phenotype (Gardner 2011). Moreover, the functioning of the brains reward circuity in cases of addiction arise from both genetic and social factors. The use of addictive drugs develops from controlled use into the compulsive and relapsing characterization of addiction; this transition is a combination of genetic, developmental, and environmental vulnerabilities, combined with drug induced plasticity in brain circuitry that strengthens learned drug-associated behavior at the expense of adaptive responding for natural rewards (Gardner

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