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OTHER FACTORS IN ADDICTION
Of course no two people
are 100 percent the same. So since internal genetic and external environmental and behavioral factors and influences vary, so can addiction
issues with each person. In other words, a child born of an alcoholic parent may have an altered or different brain chemistry or make up than
a child not born of an alcoholic. However, other factors need to be taken into account with regards to whether or not and to what extent the
child is susceptible to addictive behaviors or substances. For instance, genetics, mental state and the environmental setting of the child,
especially during early developmental years could all play key roles as to how the child or growing adult will react when confronted with
certain behaviors or instances.
So take for example a
soldier. Surviving temporarily on the only remedy available in hostile territory, he becomes addicted to morphine while outside his element or
home environment. Later he returns to his home environment. Will he stay addicted to the morphine? Will it be difficult to stop using
it?
The answers vary,
depending upon the soldier’s predisposition or susceptibility to addiction; his home environment, his mental state, his genetics with family
history, and other factors. In other words, if he came from a background of living long-term with a family of addicts, socialized with addicts
in his neighborhood and school environments, and already battled with smoking cigarettes, marijuana and other substances routinely, this
soldier may have a difficult time withdrawing from morphine. Whereas, a soldier who had never seen addiction up close before, either in his
family, neighbors, school friends, etc., and who otherwise came back with a fairly healthy mental state, may be able to stop using morphine
with little or no problems and get back to his “normal” routine.
Which leads to, “How can
you tell if someone is addicted or not?
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