Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawk Eye
Etzell is making the point, not that addiction is purely genetic, though it plays a large role in how easily one becomes addicted, but once a person acquires an addiction there is no "fixing" it.
If you're an addict, the best you can become is a recovering addict, regardless of therapy or years of sobriety. Unless I've mistaken your point, in which case I apologize Etz.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Etzell
Read Hawkeye's post. He nailed it.
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Again, I think you guys do make a salient point--but what if that 'addictive behavior' wasn't exclusively created by genetics? I've read a little bit about addictive behavior, and the supposed connection to our genes, but the only concrete example is alcoholism.
A lot of modern-day psychiatry is bunk, and is playing into the hands of the pharmaceutical industry by making up a whole lot of false mental disorders (The margins on pharmaceutical drugs are astronomical). Which is why I'm inherently skeptical when people claim that genes are the cause of an illness.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Etzell
If you're a high risk for developing heart disease, do you automatically get it? Of course not.
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You're right. In my case, I grew up adversely affected by alcohol. I've had friends die, a parent die, a grandparent die, relatives die--I've suffered mental abuse because of alcohol, I've seen it ruin other people's lives, I've heard stories about it ruining peoples lives--all because of alcohol. I made an active choice to never touch it, and to this day, I've had no interest in it.
Maybe you guys are right, maybe the day I pick up a drink is the day that I damn myself to the same fate as my father and grandfather, but for the time being I've overcome the supposed genetic predisposition for alcoholism by arming myself with education and making a commitment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Etzell
People become addicted to the chemicals their brain releases. A lot of gamblers talk about the rush they get when they're winning... That's not just excitement. Behavioral addiction is just as real as chemical dependency.
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This happens to everyone. I was just in Atlantic City for my birthday this past year, and I gambled for the first time. You're right, there is a rush when you win, and it can be addictive, but you need self-restraint. I have a hard time believing (again) that genes completely override a person's own best interest, and they're powerless to do anything about it.
I mean, if this is the case, where do you draw the line? Are murderers genetically predisposed to murdering people? Are people like Bernie Madoff genetically predisposed to embezzling billions from vulnerable people? Where does the buck stop, and at what threshold do you offset blame onto genetics?