Summary
Addiction is a multifaceted behavior that is as complex as the human being
in which it is displayed. There is no one definition that encompasses all aspects
of addiction. It is clear that addiction is a mesh of many
forces in life converging on an individual to drive that person towards a
behavior that can be easily
identified no matter what the context. Although science lags, there has
been some good research to
demonstrate that addiction has some biological roots. Studies have shown
that there are definite
correlations between genes and addictive behavior. Smokers, alcoholics and
drug abusers all have a larger
proportion of offspring with addictions than the rest of the population.
The social and environmental issues
that exist are also important in nurturing addictive behavior. Attempts to
study this have been met with
great difficulty, but most studies suggest that addictive behavior is
greatly influenced by peer groups and
ritual. The extent to which non-biological factors play an important role
in developing addictive behavior
is not well defined. As research continues, however, the complexity of
addiction unfolds, and the questions
continue.
