Well, the experts got together—expert psychiatrists—and they decided that the prime suspect in the case of ‘who caused us to be opiate addicts‘ is our genes. At the annual meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, they discussed why it is that one person can take an opiate prescription or indulge in another addictive substance and walk away unscathed while others of us do the same thing and end up addicts. It turns out that the answer lies deep in the brain and is determined by our genes.

That Dang Dopamine

Wim van den Brink is a professor at the Academic Medical Centre at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands and an expert in the field of addiction. According to Medical News Today, “addicts have fewer dopamine or pleasure receptors in the brain and consequently seek out more and more stimulation.”

Says Professor van den Brink: “Addicts find it difficult to receive pleasure. They are not likely to enjoy most of the ordinary things most of us enjoy, experiences such as a day at the beach or night at a club. They are looking for more and more stimulus.”

But genes and brain chemistry don’t do it alone; environmental influences also play a part. And with continued use, addiction causes a decrease in dopamine receptors, which means an even more addictive personality. “In this way addicts become even more interested in drugs and drug-using friends,” says Professor van den Brink.

What is an Addictive Personality?

Of course, the term means that you’re more likely to become addicted to a pleasurable activity or substance than the average Joe. But according to Professor van den Brink, “The emotional memory of the ‘wonderful experience and the drive to repeat it leads to craving and relapse.” It also means that you’re less likely to fully appreciate the fact that the short-term pleasure provided by prescription painkillers and other opiates means long-term physical, emotional and spiritual damage, at least not enough to be able to use willpower alone to maintain a drug-free life.

Are you an addictive personality or did you come by drug addiction some other way?

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"Opiate Addiction Determined by Genes" posted in Addiction, opiate-detox.
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