Does this actually exist or is it a rationalization used by some people?

Are some people pre-disposed to be addicted to something, whether it be alcohol, drugs or gambling?

Psychology majors, please weigh in.

3/29/2006 12:10:13 AM

maybe, if you're talking about their surroundings when they were young. like, a boy with an alcoholic father might be more predisposed to turning to alcohol later in life. but if you're talking about being genetically predisposed, i don't think that really exists.

3/29/2006 12:12:37 AM

^ wtf, how can you so glibly say something like that.

the only way to know is to conduct a scientific study.

in lieu of scientific data, lets extrapolate from EVERY OTHER CONCLUSION and assume that its a mix between nature and nurture

3/29/2006 12:19:38 AM

I feel like there are differences between physical and psychological addictions. Addictive personality would most likely fall under the latter of the two. But I'm no expert.

3/29/2006 12:24:09 AM

'you're so glib. you're so glib.'
-tom cruise

just saying what i thought. bah on scientific studies. all this bullshit 'it's not my fault i'm a drunk, i'm 'genetically predisposed.''

3/29/2006 12:24:13 AM

omfg, some people made a BS excuse so that means it can't ever happen!!1 LOL I'M SO GLAD I'M A GIRL AND DON'T HAVE 2 THINK ROLFMA!0!1

3/29/2006 12:25:16 AM

chill the fuck out.

if no one put a name on all this shit we wouldn't know it 'existed' and then wouldn't worry about it as much and wouldn't have drugs that people think they need.

also, i'm not a psych major. please ignore everything i say. plus i'm a girl, that also makes me more dumb apparently.

3/29/2006 12:30:41 AM

And you're blonde. Go back to the kitchen.

3/29/2006 12:32:15 AM

how do you know i'm blonde, or that i have a kitchen to go back to?

SCIENTIFIC STUDY TIME, SHIT.

3/29/2006 12:35:06 AM

no, the shit you're spewing is demonstrating your stupidity.

the fact that you're a girl is just to be expected

3/29/2006 12:36:14 AM

Hey, NO ONE TALKS SHIT TO MY GIRL BUT ME.

3/29/2006 12:36:43 AM

^THAT'S RIGHT.

it's just my opinion, not written in stone information. congrats to all the scietific studies that are out there. show me one that prove whatever it is you're trying to prove, and i'm not talking about your opinion that girls are dumb.

ps sorry arog, i bet this is not even going in the direction you want.

3/29/2006 12:41:23 AM

HEY ITS JUST MY OPINION OK

SO EVEN IF IT FLIES IN THE FACE OF ACCEPTED SCIENTIFIC FACT, WHO CARES

CAUSE I'M A GIRL AND I DON'T HAVE 2 THINK LOL!

3/29/2006 12:42:33 AM

Hey, look, I'm Excoriator!:

"OMFG ur a grl lmao i dont haf to use logical arguments or critical thinking, ill just say ur a grl a lot rofl!!112"

3/29/2006 12:44:56 AM

it is pretty hard, all this thinking nonsense. i think i'll drop out of college and make sandwiches and babies all day.

3/29/2006 12:45:08 AM

fight fire with fire

but beyond that, "i dont haf to use logical arguments or critical thinking" ... I think your problem is that you're looking for an argument. I haven't really made one since my first post. I've only pointed out how stupid she is to excuse her incorrect beliefs with the explanation that they are just "opinions" as though that somehow makes all science just disappear.

[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 12:48 AM. Reason : s]

3/29/2006 12:45:25 AM

You mean, "omfg but shees doin it 2, shez a grl1"

3/29/2006 12:47:24 AM

no, not really.

3/29/2006 12:48:32 AM

Quote :

"I've only pointed out how stupid she is "

So all you've done is call her names and repeat the fact that she's a girl?

3/29/2006 12:50:45 AM

show the science then. i said i wasn't an expert. and maybe my beliefs are incorrect to you, but that's why they're not your beliefs.

3/29/2006 12:51:04 AM

^^at this point, that's about all she's worth

Quote :

"maybe my beliefs are incorrect to you, but that's why they're not your beliefs."

hm... ya ur sooo right girlfriend, i mean, if someone wants to believe that the earth is flat or any other crazy ass shit, well, that's just their opinion and just because their beliefs are incorrect to most people doesn't mean they're wrong! lol!! lets go get our nails done - all this think thought hurting my brain!1

[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 12:54 AM. Reason : s]

3/29/2006 12:51:39 AM

Quote :

"at this point, that's about all she's worth"

No, I think that's all you're worth, since you are obviously incapable of doing much more.

3/29/2006 12:53:30 AM

hmmm let me bust out the ole DSM IV

wait, fuck that

addiction is the only disease i know of where the subject gets better when the foreign chemical influence is removed

addiction is a chemical dependency and it is a self imposed illness

3/29/2006 12:53:59 AM

haha gg slipping in that "foreign" qualifier because you knew that you'd be dead wrong otherwise.

cop out. try again.

[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 12:56 AM. Reason : s]

3/29/2006 12:56:22 AM

^^ yeah i agree. you just said it much better.

3/29/2006 12:57:40 AM

Quote :

"haha gg slipping in that "foreign" qualifier because you knew that you'd be dead wrong otherwise. cop out. try again."

Since you're now on the defensive and no longer contribute anything to what passes as a conversation, I'll take that as your surrender. A pleasure doing business with you.

3/29/2006 12:58:13 AM

Gene Therapy Reduces Drinking in Rats with Genetic Predisposition to “Alcoholism”
http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/pr/PR_display.asp?prID=04-47


Genetic Predisposition isn't just some made up excuse... yes some people use it as an excuse when they're not actually affected by it, but it does occur.

[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 1:00 AM. Reason : ..]

3/29/2006 12:59:17 AM

^^^ too bad his statement had nothing to do with either the thread's question or your original response to the thread's question.

so that's actually pretty fucking funny that you would say that he stated your response better because that just demonstrates again that you have no fucking clue what you're talking about.

Quote :

"Since you're now on the defensive and no longer contribute anything to what passes as a conversation, I'll take that as your surrender. A pleasure doing business with you."

peace out. its also funny that you thought i was talking to you about the qualifier up there.

[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 1:01 AM. Reason : s]

3/29/2006 12:59:48 AM

how the fuck is that a cop out?

drugs and alcohol change your body chemistry

they are substances you voluntarily put into your body

3/29/2006 1:00:25 AM

lots of diseases get better when a chemical influence is removed. you just slipped in "foreign" so you could pick on addiction as though it were the only time a disease improves after removing chemical influences.

anyway, that's just a tangent. This thread isn't about whether addiction is a disease. It is about whether or not some people are genetically predisposed to succumbing to addiction more easily than others.

Amazon would like to believe that everyone's brain chemistry is perfectly identical and that everyone gets equally addicted after consuming the exact same quantity of drug. She's welcome to be a fucking idiot and continue in that belief, but as Evil_Bob has so kindly demonstrated, she'll be wrong - opinions be damned.


[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 1:06 AM. Reason : s]

3/29/2006 1:03:05 AM

what was incorrect about my statement?

enlighten me please, since you seem to know so much

people aren't born addicts (unless they are born from chemically addicted mothers), they voluntarily put foreign substances into their bodies (drugs and alcohol) to get high or drunk. it's a self imposed disease

what the fuck dont you understand?

3/29/2006 1:09:19 AM

I didn't say you were wrong. Your statement is trivially true. Hence, why I called it a cop-out.

3/29/2006 1:10:43 AM

it has everything to do with 'addictive personality'

you can't become 'addicted' to gambling, sex, or food. people like to throw around the word 'addiction' so they can justify their obsessive/compulsive behaviors.

[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 1:20 AM. Reason : terrible grammar]

3/29/2006 1:17:51 AM

those behaviors could cause the body to produce and release certain chemicals to which the person could become addicted.

I'm not espousing what I just said - just providing a plausible counter argument to your pretty definitive denial of possibility.

Like I said before though, this is all a tangent to the real question in this thread -- whether or not some people are genetically predisposed to succumbing to addiction more easily than others.

amazon would like to believe that everyone's brain chemistry is perfectly identical and that everyone gets equally addicted after consuming the exact same quantity of drug. She's welcome to be a fucking idiot and continue in that belief, but as Evil_Bob has so kindly demonstrated, she'll be wrong - opinions be damned.

[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 1:22 AM. Reason : s]

[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 1:23 AM. Reason : s]

3/29/2006 1:21:53 AM

^ i would?

and yes to this:

Quote :

"you can't become 'addicted' to gambling, sex, or food. people like to throw around the word 'addiction' so they can justify their obsessive/compulsive behaviors."

[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 1:25 AM. Reason : .]

3/29/2006 1:25:42 AM

im saying you cant be predisposed to have a gambling 'addiction' because it isn't a real addiction.

can you be predisposed to alcoholism or drug addiction? absolutely.

but the bottom line is that even if someone is 'predisposed' to addiction or alcoholism, they will NEVER become an alcoholic or or drug addict unless they make the choice to use or drink.

3/29/2006 1:27:05 AM

Quote :

" plus i'm a girl, that also makes me more dumb apparently."

Actually, saying dumb things makes you dumb.


This is a good listen though: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=78511357&s=143441&i=3748238

It's the most recent Nova Science Now podcast (free, needs iTunes though... it's probably on their website somewhere too) about weight and genetics.

[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 1:30 AM. Reason : ]

3/29/2006 1:28:28 AM

I've always disliked the phrase "addictive personality" because it doesn't make any sense...are they trying to say that people get addicted to their personalities?

Anyway, arog20012001, one of your initial questions has nothing to do with the thread title...

Quote :

"Are some people pre-disposed to be addicted to something, whether it be alcohol, drugs or gambling?"

Yes, some people can be genetically predisposed to addictions, like alcoholism.

But that has nothing to do with "addictive personalities." When people say they have "addictive personalities," what they mean is that they can get "addicted" to everything and anything. I see it as a symptom of OCD, not addiction. As a child, I only ate fruit exclusively. Seven oranges a day for two weeks, then apples, then grapes, etc... I watched Brave Heart two times a night every night for about six months. Then I switched to the same tape of Conan O'Brien over and over and over again.

So the question you should be asking is:

Are some people predisposed to having OCD?

My answer: Nature/nurture, baby...take your pick or go with both.

3/29/2006 1:31:59 AM

Quote :

"im saying you cant be predisposed to have a gambling 'addiction' because it isn't a real addiction."

I'll go out on a limb and say that I'm leaning towards this belief also - there's still a great deal of debate amongst scientists whether or not you can classify these types of behaviors as addictions

Quote :

"can you be predisposed to alcoholism or drug addiction? absolutely."

amazon, are you still around or did you get distracted by a soap opera?

Quote :

"but the bottom line is that even if someone is 'predisposed' to addiction or alcoholism, they will NEVER become an alcoholic or or drug addict unless they make the choice to use or drink."

of course

3/29/2006 1:33:02 AM

^^wow you basically just said what i did, only you sounded dumber and like a girl

maybe excoriator is right about something...



[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 1:33 AM. Reason : asdf]

3/29/2006 1:33:15 AM

^dumber? How so?

And, oh yeah, you guys are talking about chemicals and stuff. I'm just talking about this notion of "addictive personalities."

[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 1:37 AM. Reason : sss]

3/29/2006 1:37:21 AM

Psychological addiction can be a very shady area with mental disorders. Traditionalists would consider all psychological addictions (gambling, internet, porn, sex, etc) purely mental disorders even though changes in neurochemistry occur (thus making it an addiction).

Traditional views of addiction state that only when a substance crosses the blood-brain barrier should qualify as an addiction. However not everyone agrees with that. Neurobiology is extremely complex and those same changes in dopamine levels can occur without psychoactive stimulii.

Quote :

"Not all doctors do agree on what addiction or dependency is*, particularly because traditionally, addiction has been defined as being possible only to a psychoactive substance (for example alcohol, tobacco, or drugs), which is ingested, crosses the blood-brain barrier, and alters the natural chemical behaviour of the brain temporarily. Many people, both psychology professionals and laypersons, now feel that there should be accommodation made to include psychological dependency on such things as gambling, food, sex, pornography, computers, work, and shopping / spending. However, these are things or tasks which, when used or performed, cannot cross the blood-brain barrier and hence, do not fit into the traditional view of addiction. Symptoms mimicking withdrawal may occur with abatement of such behaviours; however, it is said by those who adhere to a traditionalist view that these withdrawal-like symptoms are not strictly reflective of an addiction, but rather of a behavioural disorder. In spite of traditionalist protests and warnings that overextension of definitions may cause the wrong treatment to be used (thus failing the person with the behavioural problem), popular media, and some members of the field, do represent the aforementioned behavioural examples as addictions. * note: the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM IVR) specifically spells out criteria to define abuse and dependence conditions."

[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 1:48 AM. Reason : sp]

3/29/2006 1:39:32 AM

Quote :

"Traditionalists would consider all psychological addictions (gambling, internet, porn, sex, etc) purely mental disorders even though changes in neurochemistry occur (thus making it an addiction)."

That's the part that UJustWait84 isn't considering.

[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 1:41 AM. Reason : sss]

3/29/2006 1:41:11 AM

yeah

xanax withdrawels are comparable to porn withdrawels

3/29/2006 1:41:54 AM

omg, nicotine withdrawal isn't as painful as heroin withdrawal so cigarettes aren't addictive!

[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 1:44 AM. Reason : s]

3/29/2006 1:44:12 AM

okay let me rephrase

if uncle johnny cant make it to the race track, he will probably freak out and sweat for a while

but he's not going to shit water or go into DTs or grand mal seizures like in opiate, alcohol, or benzo withdrawels

3/29/2006 1:49:25 AM

sounds like an arbitrary qualification of addiction cooked up on the spot to support your argument

3/29/2006 1:50:56 AM

who cares?

what point are you trying to make?

i see you trying to troll, but providing no opinion of your own whatsoever

3/29/2006 1:52:41 AM

maybe i should go back over and summarize what i said, drawing on other peoples' better worded responses. hell, i'm learning just from reading all these posts.

i'll admit i was wrong about the GENETIC aspect of addiction. maybe some people can be helped with their addictions using gene therapy like in the article evil_bob posted. that said, the quote evil_bob posted makes a point in that some peoples addictions revolve around things that aren't ingested, so how can a substance like gambling change the chemistry of the brain? maybe people just think that it's an addiction and use that blanket term to descibe it. maybe they picked up that 'addiction' from their surroundings, and it's not genetics.

Quote :

"people aren't born addicts (unless they are born from chemically addicted mothers), they voluntarily put foreign substances into their bodies (drugs and alcohol) to get high or drunk. it's a self imposed disease"

Quote :

"you can't become 'addicted' to gambling, sex, or food. people like to throw around the word 'addiction' so they can justify their obsessive/compulsive behaviors."

i do agree with these 2 statements. some people cause themselves to be addicted to things (drugs, alcohol, whatever) by giving their body large quantities of them and becoming dependent on the effects, and it's not genetic, which is summed up in this:

Quote :

"those behaviors could cause the body to produce and release certain chemicals to which the person could become addicted."

[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 1:55 AM. Reason : .]

3/29/2006 1:54:33 AM

^^opinions of my own:

Quote :

"the only way to know is to conduct a scientific study. in lieu of scientific data, lets extrapolate from EVERY OTHER CONCLUSION and assume that its a mix between nature and nurture"

Quote :

"lots of diseases get better when a chemical influence is removed."

Quote :

"those behaviors could cause the body to produce and release certain chemicals to which the person could become addicted."

Quote :

"I'll go out on a limb and say that I'm leaning towards this belief also - there's still a great deal of debate amongst scientists whether or not you can classify these types of behaviors as addictions"

[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 1:57 AM. Reason : moron]

3/29/2006 1:55:58 AM