http://www.alcoholdrughelp.org/2009/04/26/the-life-and-death-struggle-over-the-meaning-of-addiction-do-god-and-nature-back-dsm-v/ To reduce the human suffering and economic cost of alcoholism and other abuse and Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:39:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://www.alcoholdrughelp.org/2009/04/26/the-life-and-death-struggle-over-the-meaning-of-addiction-do-god-and-nature-back-dsm-v/comment-page-1/#comment-239 gale Keenan Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:44:49 +0000 http://www.alcoholdrughelp.org/?p=275#comment-239 As a recovering alcoholic and drug user for 34 years and based on observations at AA meetings etc., it is obvious that alcohol and drug addidction are hereditary. This certainly suggests a genetic component.Probably food and gambling addictions have some form on genetic basis. The genetic basis is probably some form of depression. I would say that about alcoholism and it is probably true that it is some form of depression plus another factor that makes the person "addicted" to the substance of alochol or drugs. People who abuse alcohol may do so out of depression but are not "addicted" as when the depressive episode ends so does the abuse - not so with addicitve behaviour. We drink when we are happy, sad, rich, poor etc. Why one person chooses alochol to feel better or food or sex or gambling is a mystery. How much and what kind of behavior should be included in "adictive" behavior and classifed in DSM-V will really be interesting. As a recovering alcoholic and drug user for 34 years and based on observations at AA meetings etc., it is obvious that alcohol and drug addidction are hereditary. This certainly suggests a genetic component.Probably food and gambling addictions have some form on genetic basis. The genetic basis is probably some form of depression. I would say that about alcoholism and it is probably true that it is some form of depression plus another factor that makes the person “addicted” to the substance of alochol or drugs. People who abuse alcohol may do so out of depression but are not “addicted” as when the depressive episode ends so does the abuse – not so with addicitve behaviour. We drink when we are happy, sad, rich, poor etc. Why one person chooses alochol to feel better or food or sex or gambling is a mystery. How much and what kind of behavior should be included in “adictive” behavior and classifed in DSM-V will really be interesting.

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