Genetic factors intervene to acquire an addiction

The addiction is a complex problem, since it is estimated that 50% of the vulnerability of being addicted is hereditary , however there is also social factors adverse events during childhood or adolescence that increase the risk of consuming some type of legal drug or illegal , he claimed Nora Volkow , director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse of the United States.

When dictating the conference "The addict brain ", In the National Institutes of Cancerology and Respiratory Diseases, the specialist highlighted that recent studies have allowed to identify genetic factors that influence both to potentiate the action of experimenting with drugs and to acquire addiction.

"There are people who have greater susceptibility to acquire a addiction , unlike others who, although they are habitual consumers, never acquire it, "he said.

Also now, he said, it is known that social factors adverse effects during childhood or adolescence such as emotional abuse , physical, sexual, abandonment or family dysfunction, increase the risk of acquiring a addiction .

The above, he said is a very important finding, because so far the genetic factors It is not possible to modify, but social agents do, and that is precisely where you have a great opportunity to prevention against addictions.

Before the medical community of the health institutes, reported that addictions are considered a developmental disease, since unlike cancer, Parkinson's or Alzheimer's, which occur after age 50, addictions occur during the youth and in some cases from the childhood .

The above mentioned, indicates that adolescence is the most vulnerable stage both to experiment with drugs and to acquire a addiction and the lower the age of onset of consumption, the greater the risk that the individual will return addict .

Some of the factors that increase the adolescent's susceptibility to addiction is the lack of maturity of your brain, which leads to committing impulsive acts, in addition to your emotions are more intense, and this translates into a greater risk of consuming some kind of drug .

They are also more vulnerable because the brain It has greater plasticity, which facilitates learning , but also the effects of drugs pass faster, hence they become addicts .

This scientific evidence indicates that prevention strategies should be directed at the children and teenagers, he said.

Source: Ministry of Health - Press release


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