In the late 1800’s many Union and Confederate soldiers became addicted to morphine, stemming from the usage of the beneficial pain-killing effect of the medicine. Could this have set up our generation with an epigenetic predisposition for addiction to the drug? Is the problem “nature” or “nurture” based?
The Interaction between Epigenetics, Nutrition and the Development of Cancer
darrellbarnes.blog 
More so Nurture based. I believe there are circumstances where genetics may play a role where someone may be more likely to form an addiction than others. Overall, i feel an addiction is learned. Someone growing up in a household with one or more addicts, are “more – likely” to form an addiction themselves versus someone who grew up in a sober household. Although not always true, it does set the stage for an addiction to form based on surrounding influences. Because the Union and Confederate soldiers formed addictions to Morphine, isn’t necessarily a set up as a “given” for addiction in this generation, it is more so learned through their surrounding environment, whether it was chosen or not.
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I agree in most cases it is nurture based because you are a product of your environment but it could also in some cases be nature based.
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I have to say that it is nurture. It’s like any other drug if you are always around it or trying it then it will become addictive to people.
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I believe it can go both ways. I believe that there are people that have addiction in their genes automatically and are more prone to becoming addicted if abusing drugs…I also believe that every person has a choice in life. If they decide to choose the path of no drugs, then they don’t have to worry about getting addicted due to their genes.
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This is a great topic. I believe that is nurture that depends on this. I don’t think people are naturally addicted but I think they will become one if they are around it and if they are continued to use it.
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I believe addiction can go both ways when it comes to “nature” or “nurture”. I don’t believe that just because your parents were addicted to drugs, means you’re going to be. Everyone has that outlet, whether it be morphine, cigarettes, or an eating disorder. In this generation, if your parents didn’t go to college, than that’s now a valid excuse for you as well. Nature is what we think about when it comes to genetically inheriting and other biological factors. Nurture, leaning more towards influences or external factors after conception. Both influences do make up human behavior, but I am leaning more towards nurture on this subject.
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I have been thinking about this a lot. And I wonder if the people who may have a genetic inclination of addiction would find something else to be addicted to rather than drugs. For example, say a child is born and both the mother and father were heroin addicts. The child is given up for adoption and never comes across drugs. Will that child still find something to be addicted to (caffeine, adrenaline rushes, smoking, etc.)? I’m not sure of the answer here, just a thought I wanted to pose.
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I believe addiction of almost any type is a strong combination of both nature and nurture. Our cognitive psychology, such as memory and perception, are constantly being influenced by the environment. In respect to nature, genetics and hormones have a huge effect on the decisions we make. Humans naturally seek out things that make them feel good. Most addictive drugs increase dopamine levels when used, which makes the user want to do more of them to feel good again. Regarding nurture, I believe that those with a family history of drug abuse and addiction are far more likely to pick up the habit because it is what they grew up around and are familiar with. If an individual chooses to be around people who use drugs, the behavior may be learned from the environment through conditioning. I strongly believe drug addiction to be more of a nature and nurture situation rather than nature or nurture.
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As an health care provider in the prehospital setting we come across opioid overdoses quite often. Morphine is so easy available just like heroine. It’s cheap and it gives people the high they are looking for. My personal openion it is nurture. Addiction is created by individuals own wants and desires.
Carfentanil is a drug on the rise in the us. It was used to sedate larger animals but has found its way to the streets. It is cut with other opeiods like fentanil and heroine. There are some interesting topics about this specific drug online that are very intreging. If you wanna read more about this drug and it’s effects on others go to this website below
http://www.newsworks.org
In the search bar type in Carfentanil and it will take you to the artical.
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I would have to say nurture. I believe it’s the persons own decision to start taking any drug and become addicted. The person becomes an addict after taking the drug. Therefore, if he/she never consumed any at all the addiction would never start. That’s just my opinion.
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I believe that drug addiction is definitely a combination of a little bit of nature but more so nurture. I have a friend whose mom is an alcoholic and although my friend is not addicted to alcohol, she is addicted to food (in a sense), according to her therapist. I believe you may be predisposed to have some inclinations to an addictive personality, but the majority of the addiction is initially a decision. You choose whether or not you start doing drugs; now whether or not your predisposition makes you more inclined to try them… I’m not sure.
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My Dad always said: “you can’t be an alcoholic if you don’t take the first drink!”
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I personally think drug addiction is a choice. My father is an drug abuser, being around it and going through the 12 step programs over and over again can get tiring. Drug use is completely up to the individual. Once one gets involved in drug addiction, it will be difficult to get out of it; however, that does not mean it is impossible to be clean again. My mind is open to see if it truly is nature, but for right now I know that I do not want to follow in my father’s footsteps. In fact, I will run in the opposite direction. I will not put myself in the position to get addicted solely because my father was. Anyway, great theory—would love to see some studies done on it.
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Many times, those of us who love the “Family addicts” in our lives pick the same type of people as mates. What we become accustomed to, often is what feels “normal.”
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I believe addiction could stem from numerous things, including the people you are around all of the time. I recently found out my cousin has been struggling with drug addiction for 15 plus years. It started when he was in high school and my uncle thought he had helped him get it under control because everyone saw a significant difference in his overall demeanor. He got married and had 2 kids and was still using without anyone knowing. He worked for a railroad company and the manager was helping provide the drugs he wanted so he kept his job operating rail cars and managed to get out of trouble every time the car he was in charge of wrecked because the boss covered for him. He then started stealing money from his wife’s mother without anyones knowledge until he finally got caught writing checks in her name at the bank and got arrested. He went to rehab and seems to be doing much better. But no one noticed until the last year that he was acting strange. To my knowledge none of the other family members have had drug addiction issues so he just got mixed up with the wrong crowd. it is crazy how the people you are around influence you so much and end up ruining your life in the long run. Sorry I seemed to have rambled a lot but thought I would share. personal experience from a family member!
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I believe it’s a little bit of both. I have two friends who struggle with addiction. One of my friends has a father he has never spoken to or even seen basically his entire life and his father is a heavy drug addict. This friend is now becoming an alcoholic and drug addict with a mother who has done nothing but try to raise him in the best situation (good friends, good male role models, and church upbringing). The other friend, had both parents there and as positive role models. This guy was smart, very in depth with his religion, and more kind hearted than anyone I’ve ever met. He got mixed in with the crowd and couldn’t let go. He recently passed away this year.
But, I believe it’s both, friend one had a family background of drug abuse that he has never came in contact with, and friend two got mixed up with some bad people and made wrong decisions.
I also understand the want to get rid of narcan because it “makes people have an out, or excuse to use”, but for the friends and families who have a close one who struggles with addiction, that simple shot of narcan could give us longer to help those in need.
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Nice comparison!
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Things don’t always make sense, to they?
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Nature! It is the enviroment that you are surrounded within. You act accordingly to how the enviroment is.
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Stay in the barber shop long enough….get a haircut!
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I believe it’s nurture.
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Sometimes it is both, and sometimes it is one or the other. In addition, consider environmental factors that influence, at minimum, the children of those addicted. Also, there can be unknown genetic issues for which, individuals self-medicate, resulting in an addiction that once helped their unidentified affliction. Some personally witnessed examples are: Attention Deficit Disorder w/o hyperactivity, schizophrenia w/hallucinations (i.e., hearing voices).
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We will understand all of this better bye and bye….
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As the child of an addict, I truly believe addiction is a clinical condition caused by a genetic malfunction. No, addicts never have to try alcohol or drugs – but they do because part of human development says we, humans, try things to test limits and boundaries because we can. People who are not addicts can can do a drug once or twice and never do it again because their brains are not wired for addiction. People who have the “addict gene” try something once (doesn’t even have to be alcohol or drugs, could be food, excercise, tanning, shopping, hoarding, sex) and a switch flips and they feel as though they have to have it again and again until the feel satisfied and are addicted and literally have no control over it. I think every person should talk to an addict and see what it’s like for them. Even recovering addicts of 27 years have told me they still want their vice every single day – they’ve just learned how to cope.
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I would have to agree with Madison. I personally think that the morphine addiction may have influenced generations closer to that period, but I don’t think it is a significant factor today.
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I believe that it’s is very much nature. You become like what you surround yourself with. I do think addiction is hereditary but if you aren’t around it you won’t become addicted even if you have a gene that causes you to easily get addicted to things.
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My Dad used to say: “You ARE (like) the people you run with.”
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This issue can honestly be seen from both aspects of it being stemmed from nature and nurture, because some people are more predisposed to become addicted to drugs than others because of their family history. While it also can be seen as stemmed from nurture because many people fall into societal pressure and may choose to do simply what others around them are doing.
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Well said.
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Nature!!
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I believe it’s nurture
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I believe this problem is much more nurture-based than nature. I’m not saying that genetics don’t play a role at all, and no one is immune to becoming addicted to something. However, even if I’m “predisposed” to have a certain kind of addiction, how will I have that addiction if it’s something that I’m never exposed to? I know it’s easy to say, but I’ve learned you have to make decisions that are right for you. The people you hang around, the influences in your life… those are the things that can make you or break you, even to the point of whether or not you become an addict.
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There is a strong element of need in which we desire the approval of others…..it could simply be “keeping up with the Jones’es”…
wanting a bigger car, a bigger house…ouch…wishing for praise from others….ouch….it is good when I can get past what “I” need and look to the greater good of my brothers and sisters.
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I have heard of the genetic predisposition of children to share the addictions of their ancestors, but believe that mankind will struggle with addiction as a weapon of the enemy to make us seek anything for fulfillment other than God. Some are addicted to drugs, others food, sex, money, or attention. The scariest one to me right now is certainly the technology addiction. We are in the early stages of witnessing the horrible physical and social effects of this on multiple generations
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Charlie, I believe you have pinpointed a real problem for parents. How many parents truly have the resources to be engaged face-to-face with their children 100% of the time?? I believe we use technology to “baby-sit” our children. Allow me to explain.
In the 60’s and 70’s, I can remember my Mom playing Disney records for us to listen to as she prepared supper.
Fast-Forward (literally) to the 1980’s and then we had cassette tapes, 8-tracks, VCR technology. Then CD’s in the 90’s, now SmartPhones.
In the 1970’s, many days, I played outside all afternoon. I rode my bicycle a mile away and played in the woods, most of the time by myself….clearing trails….Good memories.
Fast forward once again to 2001. Now, nothing is safe after 911. We can’t even see our loved ones off at the airport.
Allowing our children to ride around the neighborhood on their bicycles?? Great idea, but scary for most parents….
The answer…..give the young people what they want!!! Technology….it is THE way to keep up with the Jones’es if one is a teenager…..It is also done in the name of “I need to be able to reach my child in an emergency.” OK, I get that.
But when does the technology become a tool for anarchy? At what time does its use become disrespectful? At what time is it a waste to attempt to employ a person who can’t stay off the cell phone????
Has our fear caused us to hastily supply technology to our children, thus being the efficient vehicle of the cell-phone addiction we see in technology??!!
Thanks for “thinking outside of the box!”
Morphine addiction —–> technology addiction (we made a big jump)
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As a parent myself I totally see this problem every single day! We go out to eat and see parents and children on tablets instead of enjoying each others company. I strive to not be “that”parent, I make sure that I am not on my phone during meals because that seems like the time that my kids have so many stories to share. I also do not allow my child to sit in front of a television or on a tablet all of the time because I believe they need to be exploring outside and using their imaginations inside. I do think limited “screen” time is fine because it gives them a chance to sit calmly. We just bought our 6 year old a tablet for her birthday coming up but we got one that is targeted for kids and education, she learned to read in kindergarten and the tablet we got allows us to download new books for her to read because she loves to read now! I agree technology has become babysitters for some parents and it is honestly a sad thing.
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I agree! Children are becoming addicted to technology just as one would a drug. And it’s not just children! Some adults are just as addicted and can’t seem to function without it…
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I believe this problem is much more nurture-based than nature. I’m not saying that genetics don’t play a role at all, and no one is immune to becoming addicted to something. However, even if I’m “predisposed” to have a certain kind of addiction, how will I have that addiction if it’s something that I’m never exposed to? I know it’s easy to say, but I’ve learned you have to make decisions that are right for you. The people you hang around, the influences in your life… those are the things that can make you or break you, even to the point of whether or not you become an addict.
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I personally this is a case of nurture. But I can also see where some might say this is strictly nature.
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I think that the problem is nurture. It’s up to the person themselves of what they want to do everyone is their own person. If someone wants to do drugs let them everything we do in life has a consequence to it in the end. Just because you see someone do something don’t mean you have to do it for example if your parents are addicted to drugs and you become addicted as well don’t say you get that from your parents because you don’t. You should wanna be better then them that’s just an excuse to do drug, excuses are lit booty holes everybody got one.
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I believe that the environmental factors of addiction may be an even more substantial factor in creating addicts. If you look at the Civil War, most of these people in this era had much more uncomfortable times in their daily lives, even after the war, than we would today or even 50 years ago. The lack of many commodities and services that we take for granted today made life for returning civil war soldier’s lives not so different when they were on the battlefield.
In the Vietnam War, it’s a known number that 40 percent of the soldiers deployed have tried morphine and and almost 20 percent were addicted. This was devastating news to hear for many of the soldier’s loving families at home. There were programs created, (The Special Action Office of Drug Abuse Prevention), for the impending surge of heroin addicted veterans returning home after the war. But after tracking these veterans, only 5 percent of those 20 percent addicted had actually stayed addicted after returning home, with many of those kicking the addiction almost overnight. My hypothesis is that environmental factors like war, loneliness, sub-par, jungle battlefield conditions created most of these soldier’s addictions and after the war, when these veterans returned back to their families and modern commodities and conveniences of a 1st world family, it was much easier to break their addiction. I fully believe that having a good environment with friends and family will definitely make it easier for an addict to recover. As for the genetic side, I do believe that some bloodlines might be genetically more predisposed to become addicted, however, I believe that the environmental condition of the 1800’s might be a more substantial reason there were so many addicts.
http://jamesclear.com/heroin-habits
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2012/01/02/144431794/what-vietnam-taught-us-about-breaking-bad-habits
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Good encouragement to take personal responsibility for one’s actions..
.. get out of situations that perpetuate poor choices.
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I love topics like this! I believe it’s a little of both. I believe nature has a part in it because there may be genes that increase the chances of you becoming addicted easier. However, I also believe that nurture has a huge part. Your environment can influence you greatly! I love reading everyone’s comments and seeing everyone’s point of view!
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Good Info. Makes you think a lot!
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This is a very interesting topic, but I would think that morphine from the war would have effect previous generations more than ours. It could very likely be a factor, but there are a number of other factors also influencing our current opioid crises
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Very thought provoking! I think it is greatly dependent upon your surroundings
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i agree. But also, there can be ways that it is genetic. there is a sight called “Learn genetics” the genetic science learning center. It states facts about the ways it can and cannot be genetic or environmental. Its a great article to read and learn from.
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It’s nurtured as people become addicted and feel they need the sensation of being “relaxed or peaceful”. but the reality of it is when the come home and still need it despite injury on their own choice to need it or use it
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As a recovering addict, I still struggle with the disease concept of addiction. However, when I trace the history of opiate addiction in my family, I believe there is a genetic component to addiction.
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When we remain in dysfunctional settings we begin to see all of this as normal….when it’s not.
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I do not think it would have played a genetic role in morphine addition . Although I do think having the exposure of pain medicine of that strength, may have put us at risk for addiction but not genetically.
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I believe that the abuse of pain-killer medication was a set up for our generation. Also, the problem is nature based.
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No I don’t believe that this occurance of addiction left an epigenetic predisposition for addiction because addiction is simply the over use of a drug due to pain/weakness to find a stimulate a “good” feeling reaction. This generation (current) has nothing to do with the other. One dealt with war time, whereas today’s generation is simply using drugs for recreation. Where as the previous generations was subjected because on the battlefield morphine is all a medic could do for them at the time. Morphine was even used as a way to put someone out of their misery and to save them from agony. Example: movie – Havksaw Ridge
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Intense movie and good application of this morphine topic….
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I believe that addiction is whithin everyone but other have a higher risk of becoming addicted because ofbtheir nature.
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I think Morphine addiction is a combination of genetics (nature) and poor environment (nurture). Some people are much more likely to be addicted to morphine than others. On the contrary, I believe environment may play a larger factor in one being addicted than genetics.
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I believe that genetics plays a role in addiction. If our ancestors were exposed to and became addicted to a substances it would make sense that our current generation would be addicted. Even in today’s generation when you hear about a parent or grandparent struggling with substance abuse it is common to hear about a child or grandchild struggling with the same substance abuse issue.
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I believe this is an addiction caused by nature. It’s a learned behavior. However, I also believe some people can be more prone to addiction than others because of their genes.
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I agree with Mary Beth. It is learned in some cases but also some people have a higher chance of getting addicted to something because of genetics.
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I think that becoming addicted isn’t directly influenced by genetics. I think you become addicted if you are with people that are already addicted and abuse the drug.
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In my opinion, this epidemic did not lead to the problems with morphene addiction in the world. Everyone is predisposed to becoming addicted to morphene, that is true. But the reason is because it is a very addicted drug, and it makes you feel good when you take it. Any one who uses it recreationally has a good chance to get addicted, and in my opinion, it doesn’t have much to do with anything that happened 200 years ago. So, I guess I’m more in the nurture school versus nature.
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Saying that everyone is predisposed is a little to absolute for me. Take an example of a more widely shared addition such as cigarettes: although a wide portion of our population share this struggle, certainly much more than are fighting with morphene, you can not say everyone can be addicted to this either. Addiction is more mental than physical and as we are all individuals, we all have certain things that we will be more apt to cling to once exposed.
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I feel this is a nature issue because they were predisposed to have this addiction
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New fact that I’ve never heard of and I even did a research project on addiction being gene related. I find this interesting and would like to read more on it!
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I happen to believe in both, yet i do feel that addiction is hereditary.
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see I disagree with Shayla, I believe that it isn’t hereditary. I have seen it first hand people who have this addiction and it is hereditary.
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nurture
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good info!
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This is Nuture all the way. Its only human nature to make a habit of something that leads to dependency. I heard all my life that drugs (legal and illegal) is apart of my family history. As I grew older, I realize those family members chose to make drugs become an addiction. Our minds are designed to be independent, and help gear our bodies toward self healing. So no, I dont believe morphine set up our generation with an epigenetic predisposition for addiction. Although, opiates are very helpful in relieving excruciating pain; it’s my belief it should only be taken in moderation.
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Another question I have is if it is more genetic for men or women. I have seen more situations where men that it runs in their family fall victim to this disorder, than women.
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