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My parent is an addict. Will I be one too?

44 Answers
Last Updated: 04/20/2021 at 7:39am
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Top Rated Answers
LeoAndrew
October 26th, 2014 1:23pm
My dad is an alcohol addict. But i'm not following his footstep just because I am his son. I have a greater willpower than him
Heretobeyourfriend
September 22nd, 2014 12:16pm
No of course not!!! I am also the child of an addict,but here I am years later. At one point I did struggle addiction, but I got help as soon as possible. Your parent being an addict just means it may be harder for you to avoid addictions but does not make you any less of a person:) Hope I helped! Much love -heretobeyourfriend
afriendcalledsiouxsie
November 6th, 2014 7:38pm
not necessarily. there can be a genetic disposition for alcohol abuse, but i think genetic disposition for drug abuse is much less. most important for you is to be proactive about staying clean and sober. find out everything you can about addiction, and stay abstinent for all drugs and alcohol as much as possible, especially if you are an adolescent or young adult. knowing that you have addiction in your family is a great reason to seek out an alanon or narration group. these are the family and friend support groups for those who have alcoholism or drug abuse in their family. it will also be beneficial to keep tabs on your own emotional states. notice if you are feeling depressed, and do something about it, other than using drugs. find people who do not use. there are lots of them out there. let those people be your friends, and do everything in your power to discover things you can care about in life and ways to take good care of yourself.
Brettlstar
November 14th, 2014 1:05pm
There is a good book called Families and how to survive them. By Robbin Skinner and John Clease. It discusses the rules families develop and how that affects us through our life.
SmilingUnicorn
August 25th, 2015 8:41pm
Just because your parent is an addict, does not mean you'll be one too. You can use what you've gone through and witnessed for motivation, to make a better life for yourself.
SereneNights
June 7th, 2015 10:47pm
You will never be anything you do not want to be. You are a strong person, always believe in yourself
Angel0309
September 22nd, 2014 11:17pm
Addiction can be hereditary, so if you do decide to try drugs or alcohol you may be at a greater risk of becoming addicted to those substances. However, in any case the best possible thing to do is to stay away from drugs and alcohol.
Anonymous
October 23rd, 2014 12:05am
No. Although you may have some genetic coding for addiction (in other words, you may be more susceptible to addiction) this does not mean you will absolutely become an addict.
DevonT
February 7th, 2016 1:26pm
No! Or yes. I don't know! But just because your parent is one, doesn't mean you will be too. The sins of the father do not damn the child.
Sisiphus
January 13th, 2016 10:41pm
Addiction is not genetic, it is to do with life circumstances and how well you've learnt to cope with emotional pain. Life can be hard for the children of addicts but unless you learn the behaviour from them, there's no reason you should end up one too.
Soldrew2015
December 8th, 2015 11:36am
There is a possibility. We learn things from what we see. The closer the relationship we have to a certain person, the higher the chance we tend to adapt their habit or behavior especially if is an outlet to release stress. However, this is something that is preventable. .
serenitynow04
January 14th, 2016 5:20pm
Just because your parent is an addict doesn't mean you will be one. You make your choices and have the ability to choose a different outcome for yourself.
SkyeLilyxox
January 15th, 2016 9:16pm
Absolutely not! You are your own person. You make your own choices in life. I think the very fact that this is something you are worried about happening, shows that you are very strong & thoughtful. Take the path that you feel is right for you & have faith in yourself.
bestEmbrace20
January 17th, 2016 9:03pm
I know a lot of people who are not addicts even though both their parents are. I think that sometimes seeing first hand what being an addict is like is enough to make you never want to be like that.
Lotus48
January 20th, 2016 10:46am
Not necessarily, but as children we learn by observation, therefore; there is an higher chance of being an addict verses a parent that does not use drugs.
Anonymous
January 23rd, 2016 9:40pm
depends on your mindset. you become who you believe you are. so focus on your dreams. you can be and do anything you put your mind to, so choose wisely ;)
Adam2342
January 26th, 2016 7:26pm
It depends on how much you're into them , Be yourself ..Everyone else is taken , You parents addiction can be a great lesson for you .. make sure you take the right decision.
fantasticDay32
January 28th, 2016 3:24pm
You are in charge of your own future and your own decisions. It doesn't have to be that way if you choose for it to not be so.
lexieejolleen
January 29th, 2016 4:09am
No, you so not have to follow your parents footsteps, especially if it is negative. Be the good person you know you can be:)
Anonymous
January 29th, 2016 4:33am
You won't, you have to see that he's doing somethung hurtful for you, so you need to be strong and take a different way.
LittlePepper
January 30th, 2016 9:22pm
Both of my parents are addicts, so I asked myself this once, and I can firmly tell you. I'm not an addict! :) Although some may believe that addiction is passed on through genes I can say that either I didn't get that gene, or it's a myth! If you're interested in finding out if you're an addict or not, I would say it's best not to even try to identify what you are. Because if you actually are, you don't want to get attached to whatever substance. If you're not, then you're not and you won't need to care about it! :D
InPieces
January 31st, 2016 6:14am
Not necessarily! Both of my parents are addicts, my father being a very abusive alcoholic, and my mother not only being an alcoholic, but also abuses pain medications while she drinks. Watching them as a child I never understood it and watching them has made me want to be stronger than they are and keeping myself healthy and in the best emotional and physical condition as possible. Psychology says that you are more at risk of becoming an addict. I studied under Dr. Michael Meyerhoff who is one of the leading Psychologists at Harvard University and one thing I learned is "There are no rules or recipes for humans" in other words, we can be whoever we want to be.
Miracle
February 7th, 2016 2:54pm
Not necessarily, it is possible that you may have a tendency towards addiction but nothing is set in stone and making choices to avoid traditionally "addictive" activities or substances can help you to reduce your chance of being like your parent.
kindPup32
February 12th, 2016 10:11am
No. You are not what your parent is. You are an individual and unless you allow yourself to be sucked into drug addiction then you should be fine. Try to look at your parent as an example of what not to do whenever you feel like you want to try.
iPray
December 7th, 2015 7:43am
As a child of an alcoholic father, I am not addicted to anything except helping others. Mind of manner, you have the power to stop the ripple effect of bonding in your family. Addiction is a rough word. Humans, we love to bond to anything that is near, but if we understand how much bonding to "bad" things is, we soon choose. To do, or not to do, and it is up to you. Do you want your children to bond to the good of this world or the difficulties like addiction?
SaraC13
October 31st, 2014 2:04pm
No. There are genetic markers and I'm sure it's in the environment you're in but no. If you do not want to be an addict and do not drink or use those drugs than no.
MattsListening
November 7th, 2014 5:50am
While there are studies that show a predilection towards addiction based on genetics it is in no way a guarantee. The fact that the question is being asked shows awareness of a potential problem. With awareness the potential for prevention is very much increased. Stay strong, stay away from harmful addictive substances, and focus on productive things to keep you occupied. Remember that ultimately you are in charge of your own destiny.
Anonymous
November 9th, 2014 3:37pm
Not necessarily. Addiction can come from having traumatic things happen to your or just because you enjoy doing drugs. Addiction is never set in stone and you can always break the habit.
Anonymous
November 16th, 2014 2:16am
No I don't believe so. There are genetic markers which can influence a person, but it doesn't control a person to the point they become an addict. If you truly don't want to fall into the trap that is addiction than I see no reason why you can't persist beyond it.
professionalDreamer32
April 8th, 2015 9:36am
No! both my parents are addicts, and it's true that I have learned some very bad behaviors and coping skills from them. But by learning new ways of deal with life's problems (like what many of the articles in the resource area talk about!), I've been able to avoid that pitfall. I know many others who have as well. So I'd say you might have a higher chance of becoming an addict, but you can definitely avoid it.