The Gene Pool
July 4, 2011
My sister got married this weekend, and it was so good to see all of my cousins, my brother and sister-in-law. It was a good time. I was talking to another family member, and it turns out we had some addicts in the family that I did not know about. It definitely is a genetic problem. I think that in health class, your past history should be discussed along with a family tree project. The whole thing is so interesting to me – the marriages and divorces are all related to the effects that the addictions and abuses had on the families involved.
If the family histories of addiction were discussed in schools, maybe it would lead to a more tolerant attitude towards those with the problems. Maybe we can prevent the addictions by knowing about the vulnerabilies we have from genetics that we can not control, and redirecting risky behaviors that we can control.
In any case, there is such a secrecy involved because of the stigma of mental health issues, alcoholism and addiction. We have to stop condemning and start viewing people as more than their addictions.
