While research focused on the genetic factors involved in addiction points to connections between the ways addiction can travel through families, experts also remind people that this isn’t an affirmation that they’ll have a substance abuse problem, nor anyone else in their family.

A recent article in Addiction Treatment Magazine addresses this issue, stating that there’s still much to be learned about the ways genetics impacts a person’s likelihood or vulnerability related to substance abuse. While some people may have a genetic likelihood of carrying specific traits related to a higher addiction risk, many live a completely addiction free life even when exposed to addiction triggers.

Research continues to explore the ways genetics are related to a person developing an addiction to alcohol or drugs. Although some studies suggest a person’s genetic makeup may include genes that are connected to cravings and abuse for alcohol or drugs, and that they may be able to pass these genes forward to their children, experts note that a person’s environment, attitudes and the presence of any co-occurring illnesses, like depression or anxiety disorders, all have a role to play.

The reality of genetics and addiction can be stated in these terms: While research indicates genetic tendencies that may influence some people’s risk for addiction, these genetic combinations don’t mean addiction is imminent. By identifying and addressing the stressors and triggers ahead of time that may make them more susceptible to addiction, many people lead a life without addiction, despite their genetic wiring.

Dr. Bonnie Nagel, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience, led the research in which 31 young people ages 13 to 15 years old were hooked up to brain scanning technology (magnetic resonance imaging) while they played "Wheel of Fortune." None of the participants drank alcohol themselves, but 18 were from families with histories of alcoholism. The game they played involved either taking risks or playing it safe to win money. While both the children with family histories of alcoholism, and those with no such histories played the game about the same way, there were differences in their brain scans.

"While our study found that adolescents (with family histories of alcoholism) did not perform significantly different on the Wheel of Fortune task compared to the other adolescents, we found two areas of their brains that responded differently, "said Dr. Nagel. "These areas were in the prefrontal cortex and cerebellum, both of which are important for higher-order day-to-day functioning, such as decision-making. In these brain regions, adolescents (with family histories of alcoholism) showed weaker brain responses during risky decision-making compared to their peers."

Previous studies involved young adults who had already started drinking. This study involved participants who did not drink alcohol, and yet it indicated that certain genetic factors could already be at work and causing differences in the way adolescents with family histories of alcoholism make decisions.

"Taken together with other studies on youth (with family histories of alcoholism), these results suggest that atypical brain structure and function exist prior to any substance use, and may contribute to an increased vulnerability for alcoholism in these individuals," Dr. Nagel said.

"While having a family history of alcoholism may put one at greater risk for alcohol abuse, personality and behavioral risk factors are also important to consider. A combination of genetic and environmental factors is very different for everyone, so some individuals may be at higher risk than others, and certainly there are genetic and environmental factors that can also protect against alcohol abuse. Future research will need to determine the relative influence of these traits on alcohol abuse risk to be able to define specific prevention strategies for different high risk populations."

The study appears in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission is initiating early warning campaigns in hopes to alert the public about the issues of drinking and substance abuse with this population. Jena Burkhart, a geriatric clinical pharmacist at UNC believes there will be a rapidly increasing problem and that those in the health care field need to stay alert and aware of how to handle these growing concerns.

So far, research into these types of substance abuse issues among this group of baby boomers yields several dismal statistics. Baby boomers are categorized as the generation born after WWII and typically were born between the years 1946 to 1964. These statistics have sparked initiatives by those in the medical community to give better information regarding this subject. Keith Kimbro, a 60 year old recovering addict of alcohol and drugs, says he sees an abundance of evidence of this trend at his job in Durham, NC with the Alcohol and Drug Council. Kimbro says usually these folks have dealt with some serious issues such as death of a spouse, a car accident or a disability of some kind. Until now, they typically have not had issues with their addiction and suddenly at 55-60 their tolerance decreases.

Suddenly, as this group reaches their senior years, they are having issues handling their tolerance of drinking and become visibly disabled by it or are noticeably drunk.

There is not a lot of research taking place on what needs to be done about the problem. Munthe hopes adolescents will use Twitter and Facebook to share opinions so they can gain new information, as they know adolescents feel degraded by community campaigns and organizations that come to schools to educate them about the dangers of underage drinking.

A project funded by a European Commission named the Daphne III has studied the correlation among young people ages 10 to 25 and has targeted their media habits along with their alcohol consumption. The project, called Alcopop Tv Culture, aims to understand how the responsibility for this problem can be handled and divided up among the different parties from the media companies, state authorities, alcohol industry companies, families and the young adults themselves.

Researchers believe responsibility needs to be shared and that media corporations have a huge moral liability, but it should be left up to the government to make decisions on the convenience of alcohol. The goal in Europe is to decide on and draft a sort of policy roadmap as to how all parties can share the responsibility for this problem due to the volatile growth of the media.

Dr. Sheree Gibb of the University of Otago followed a thousand people born in 1977 to age 30. When they were ages 25 to 30, those who worked 50 hours or more a week were 1.8 to 3.3 times more likely to develop problems with alcohol compared to the unemployed, and 1.2 to 1.5 times more likely compared to those who worked 30 to 49 hours a week. The finding held true for both men and women.

Dr. Gibb speculated that because people who work long hours are more likely to socialize with their co-workers, they may be more likely to drink more than average too.

"Individuals who work longer hours may have more social contact with co-workers, and workplaces where long hours are commonplace may experience a more sociable atmosphere that involves a greater level of alcohol use," she explained in her report.

Dr. Gibb said that governments should consider policies and programs to prevent alcoholism among those who work long hours.

This study appears in the journal Addiction.

A previous research team that looked at the alcoholic consumption of 106 American college students who also were holding down part-time jobs came to similar conclusions. The number of hours the students worked on any given day was positively related to the number of drinks they consumed that day, but their overall workload was not related to their overall alcoholic consumption. The authors, from the University of Iowa, concluded that "employment during the academic year plays a significant role in college student drinking and suggests that the employment context may be an appropriate intervention site to address the problem of student drinking."

That study appeared in the July 2010 issue of the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.
 

Co-lead author Shelly B. Flagel, Ph.D., a research investigator at the U-M Medical School’s Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, said they were able to answer the question of what role the neurotransmitter dopamine plays in the reward center of the brain.

To get some perspective, think about a rat learning to associate a lever with the appearance of food. Until now, scientists hadn’t figured out whether dopamine was released in the rats’ brains at the sight of the lever itself or when the rats accurately predicted the appearance of food. With this study, the researchers found that the answer depends on the rat’s genes. 

Flagel said to think about a sign for an ice cream store. Some people will see the sign and think of it as an indicator that ice cream is available. Other people, however, will have a stronger reaction to the sign, and they’ll hurry over to the store, unable to resist the opportunity. 

The researchers studied rats that were bred for certain personality traits, including increased risk for drug addiction. Rats that were more prone to substance abuse tended to focus their attention on the lever, whereas the other rats focused on the area where the food appeared.

The researchers used a method called fast-scan cyclic voltammetry to measure the dopamine responses in the rats’ brains, and found that the rats that were more susceptible to drug abuse experienced a reward just from seeing the lever, whereas the other rats did not. Even when the food was removed, the drug-prone rats’ desire for the lever continued.

The study also measured the rats’ ability to learn when the reward feelings (dopamine) were blocked, and repeated the experiments with rats that had not been selectively bred.

The researchers, including co-lead author Jeremy J. Clark, Ph.D., of the University of Washington, hope their study will help scientists discover my some people are much more influenced by environmental cues and are at a higher risk for compulsive behavior such as addiction.

Source: Science Daily, Unlocking the Secrets of Our Compulsions, December 8, 2010

Methylphenidate falls into the drug category of central nervous system stimulants and causes changes to occur in the brain chemicals and nerves that lead to hyperactive behaviors or impulsive behaviors. The drug also causes dopamine levels to increase gradually, and when taken in large dosages, it provides a similar stimulating effect as cocaine.
The drug is listed as a Schedule II controlled substance because of its potential for abuse. Overuse of methylphenidate is more common among college-aged students who attempt to stay awake for long periods of time. Some report that it gives a surge of adrenaline or feelings of being able to “accomplish anything.”

Teens abusing methylphenidate may become agitated, hallucinate or become extremely nervous and emotional. A heightened sense of what is possible for them to accomplish is also noted, along with weight loss and an inability to sleep.

Adolescents who abuse methylphenidate are believed to become tolerant to it over time, and will then seek out the effects of other more powerful stimulants, making the drug a potential starting point for cocaine use or experimenting with methamphetamine.

The use of methylphenidate rose during the 1990s as experts began to more fully understand and diagnose ADHD symptoms. In children, positive effects from methylphenidate toward ADHD include heightened awareness, reduced fatigue, and a better ability to pay attention, although it has not been approved for children less than six years old. In terms of improving school outcomes, little formal evidence exists.
The drug can stunt normal growth in children or lead to weight loss over time. It is available in a tablet form and can be sprinkled into foods, or taken as an elixir; methylphenidate is also available as an inhalant. More recently it has become available as a skin patch.
Taking too much methylphenidate can lead to agitated moods, muscle tremors, sweating, seizures, vomiting or rapid heartbeat. Some people have reported side effects like a sore throat, or skin problems such as blistering or a rash. For some patients, it can also cause very high blood pressure and respiration problems.

Methylphenidate’s capacity for abuse among teens and young adults is a growing concern among health experts, and its long-term effects on children are not yet fully understood. Nearly 20 cases of cardiac arrest had been potentially linked to the drug by 2006, leading the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee to urge the FDA to place a warning on the drug. In 2006, the FDA stated that methylphenidate does not require specific warnings about health risks, and that for most children, the drug is not linked to cardiovascular risk.

When taken in proper settings, the drug has been shown to reduce symptoms of ADHD. However, due to its potential for misuse and possibility as a gateway drug, experts suggest parents be aware of the symptoms of methylphenidate abuse and monitor children’s prescriptions carefully.
 

These quick fixes can soon become destructive habits, leading to what experts call a connection between ADHD and addiction – specifically, that people with ADHD may also be more likely to abuse a substance than people who don’t have the disorder.

Sometimes called self-medicating, taking a chemical or substance to manage the symptoms of a disease can quickly become dangerous. Around eight to 15 million people in the U.S. have ADHD, and of these, it is believed from one-third to half also abuse alcohol, drugs or other substances.

The symptoms of ADHD can cause high levels of anxiety, stress and restlessness. Guilt and feelings in inadequacy can also result when a person struggles to complete a task at home or in the workplace. The overriding sense of restlessness that accompanies ADHD can also set the stage for addiction, particularly in terms of drugs or alcohol, which may give the user a feeling of calm. Many people with ADHD may also abuse things like food, or have other secret compulsions.

Some experts even suggest that when ADHD is diagnosed, therapists should also explore the possibility of the patient having a coexisting substance abuse problem. Likewise, people with substance abuse problems may benefit from screening for symptoms of ADHD.

According to Baltimore psychiatrist and ADHD specialist Carol Watkins, conditions that may put a person with ADHD at even higher risk for addiction include having substance abuse history in their family, having low level of social relationships, and having depression or anxiety problems.

Further complicating the relationship between addiction and ADHD is the reality that people with this disease may be more prone than others to seek out stimulation or take chances. Feelings of shame, reduced energy levels and problems with ordering the tasks and objects in their environment may also contribute to a person with ADHD becoming addicted to a substance as a self-medicating tool.

It is believed that some prescription medications to treat the symptoms of ADHD may help prevent the patient from moving into a harmful addiction. Researchers at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital concur, stating that young adults who took ADHD prescription medications showed lower chances of abusing drugs and alcohol.

Addiction experts like Wendy Richardson say a total-person approach to recovery is best, involving both the ADHD symptoms and the substance addiction. This may involve completing a 12-Step recovery program for addictions before beginning prescriptions for ADHD.

With a combination of strategies such as counseling, group support and carefully prescribed medications, the outlook for recovery and management of both addiction and ADHD is hopeful.

According to a recent Psych Central report, researchers at Queen’s university have determined that impulsive behavior can actually be improved through training. When impulsive behaviors improve, a mechanism change has occurred in the frontal lobe of the brain.

Impulsive behaviors can affect everyone and can emerge in an inability to resist the second piece of cake, picking up the candy bar in the checkout line at the grocery store or watching just one more hour of television.

On a more intense level, impulsivity is a major factor in a number of disorders, including ADHD, obsessive compulsive disorder, addiction and gambling. Children who cannot control their impulses often continue to deal with problems well into adulthood.

Impulsive behaviors in a child are often corrected within certain situations. For instance, the child who blurts out the answer to a question instead of raising a hand will have consequences for being impulsive. He or she eventually learns how to raise a hand instead of calling out the answer.

Researchers wanted to know how this type of learning occurs within the brain and sought to determine where the memory for this type of inhibition resides and how it is encoded. In doing so, researchers can develop treatment that teach the individual how to stop their impulsive behavior that is causing problems.
 

A recent study examined the association between incarcerated males and the drug usage of their children, focusing specifically on marijuana among other drugs. The research was published in the journal Addiction and identified an association between a father’s incarceration and a substantial increase in risk for illegal drug use during adolescence and young adulthood.

According to the study’s authors, there has been a significant increase in the number of children with incarcerated parents. In 1975 there were 250,000 incarcerated persons. By 2006 that number had jumped to 2,250,000 persons.

The researchers utilized data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, which is a nationally representative sample of adolescents that followed adolescents enrolled in school in 1995 as they entered into adulthood. The data was used to determine whether an association existed between incarceration of fathers and drug use by the child.

The results of the analysis revealed that 51 percent of young men and nearly 40 percent of young women who had a father with a history of incarceration reported use of marijuana. Their counterparts, whose fathers had never been incarcerated, used marijuana at a rate of 38 percent for males and 28 percent for females.

While peak use of marijuana for those without an incarcerated father was at the age of about 20, youth with incarcerated fathers used marijuana well into their twenties. A biological father with a history of incarceration also elevated risk for the use of other illegal drugs, such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines.

The results of the study indicate that youth with a biological father incarcerated have an elevated risk for using illegal drugs. This finding is significant because not only are there physical consequences of using an illegal drug, but there are other adverse outcomes linked to drug use, such as increased crime, lost work productivity and the potential financial burden of seeking substance abuse treatment.
The research highlights the need for increased education and prevention efforts in communities where there is a high rate of incarcerated fathers.
The authors of the study are careful to point out that the research was an observational examination of associations, and should not be accepted as a scientific study providing evidence for a causal relationship.