Drug Rehab - Addicts Siblings Share Risk | Solutions Recovery

Family Drug Addiction

In families with a history of drug abuse, siblings who didn?t use drugs demonstrated similar brain patterns and poor self control as their addicted brothers and sisters, British researchers reported in the journal Science.

Siblings with a family history of substance abuse grew up in abusive homes, but only some became addicts, neuroscientist Karen Ersche and her colleagues from Cambridge University said.

?People are 8 times more likely to become addicted to drugs if they have a family history,? she said. ?We wanted to know how people managed to come from troubled backgrounds and not develop addictions like their brothers and sisters.?

Researchers tested brain scans in 50 sibling pairs and discovered definite abnormalities compared with the individuals without a family history, the study showed.? The drug addicts and their siblings exhibited lower volumes of gray matter in parts of the brain associated with compulsive behavior.

Participants also performed self-control tests to measure their tendency for addiction. Siblings in the study underwent a stop-signal test that required them suppress a response when they heard a sound.

While researchers expected the addicts to have a low level of self-control, they were surprised to find that the siblings also had lower self-restraint, Ersche said.

?If you struggle to control behavior then there is a risk that the drugs will take over,? she said.

The results of the study have significant implications for further treatment and understanding underlying causes of addiction, researchers said.

Interventions that focus on improved self-control is one avenue researchers are exploring, Ersche said. Using information about why siblings didn?t succumb to compulsive or addictive behavior is another important key in battling addiction.

Finding a familial risk for addiction does not necessarily mean that people will become addicts, said Joseph Troiani, director of the substance abuse program at the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago.

See the full Medill Reports story here

Our Las Vegas?based Drug and Alcohol?treatment programs will assist you in your recovery from chemical dependency, whether it be alcohol,?cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, opiates, or other addictive substances.?We offer Chronic Pain, Detox, Intensive Outpatient, and Residential Treatment Programs. Solutions Recovery, Inc. is able to assist you in your recovery. For more information please visit our website at?www.Solutions-Recovery.com.

Source: http://solutions-recovery.com/solutions_blog/drug-rehab-addicts-siblings-share-risk?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=drug-rehab-news-siblings-of-drug-addicts-share-equal-risk-for-addiction

nick cannon pellet gun clay aiken zambrano orange bowl jonbenet ramsey tim howard goal