Chances are, the recent passing of Bobbi Kristina Brown, daughter of the late Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, caused many people to wonder: Does substance abuse run in families?
Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli. Ryan O'Neill and Tatum O'Neill. Tatum O'Neill, John McEnroe and Kevin McEnroe. Charlie Sheen and Martin Sheen. Ozzie Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne. These high-profile cases put a well-needed eye on the role genes play in drug and alcohol abuse.
Bobbi Kristina Brown was one of millions of American children who have to cope with their parents' struggles with addiction. Approximately 12% of children in the U.S. lived with at least one parent who was dependent on or abused alcohol or an illicit drug last year, according to a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). And the National Association for Children of Alcoholics states that More than 28 million Americans are children of alcoholics; nearly 11 million are under the age of 18.
Research has shown that family history of alcoholism or drug addiction is in part genetic and not just the result of the family environment. According to AddictionsandRecovery.org, children of addicts are 8 times more likely to develop an addiction. One study looked at 231 people who were diagnosed with drug or alcohol addiction, and compared them to 61 people who did not have an addiction. Then it looked at the first-degree relatives (parents, siblings, or children) of those people. It discovered that if a parent has a drug or alcohol addiction, the child had an 8 times greater chance of developing an addiction.
"This doesn't mean it's certain that a child of addicted parents will become addicted. But, what the studies do show is that since addiction has a genetic component, children of addicted parents are predisposed to the disease --- just as they would be if their parent had heart disease or diabetes," explains David Bohl, Executive Director of Kiva Recovery, a drug and alcohol abuse treatment and recovery center located in Vernon Hills. "Further, if a parent struggles with addiction and the child sees this behavior, they learn from it. It's hard for these children to understand how to deal with problems in a healthy, constructive manner when no one is setting that example."
It's important to realize, however, that it's always possible to break the cycles of addiction. With proper treatment and counseling, you can gain the power to stop the generational consequences of substance abuse. You can learn to get past the resentment you may feel because of your parents' addiction, and you can show your own children that there are healthier ways of coping with life's inevitable stresses and challenges.
Adds Bohl, "Many people have broken their family's cycle of addiction, successfully accomplishing treatment and recovery. And, they're easy to find because they're willing (and often eager) to share their story about how they solved their problem, and give you the hope and encouragement to get the help you need."
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