TPC_Journal Digests_Volume_2_Issue_1

humans are born with a genetic predisposition to addictions of any kind. It takes an environment to trigger the addiction. Twin studies on alcohol addiction have only looked at the absence of alcohol in the adopted homes where twins of genetic alcoholics grew up and became alcoholics. These studies have failed to do an autopsy of the home environment where the twins lived with their adopted parents. An alcohol-addicted environment is not the only environment that may trigger alcohol addiction. As suggested in this paper, a chaotic, unpredictable environment is fertile ground for alcohol and any other addiction- related behavior. It is the compulsive behavior, which eventually trains the brain to respond to a certain stimulus. The goal of any addiction, as demonstrated in this paper is to ultimately relieve feelings of anxiety, sadness, and loss. Addiction is not a substance-seeking behavior; it is a mood-altering behavior. The high obtained from the substance is not so much through the substance per se, as it is by giving the brain what it wants—a relief to the early feelings of abandonment when ACoAs and other adult children could not count on their caregivers. TPC Digest