Genetic predisposition is one of the three main factors that contribute to the development of drug addiction. According to this, addiction is likely to occur when an individual has a family history of alcohol or drug addiction and their genetic information contains a particular set of genes, i.e. Coded codes found in a person's DNA that control addictive behavior and are expressed. when the individual begins using drugs recreationally and becomes dependent on them. However, a genetic predisposition does not mean that the individual is inherently addicted to drugs or that they will end up with a substance abuse problem. Only after certain factors are taken into account and addiction to the recreational drug develops does the genetic predisposition take over and the user develops both psychological and physiological dependence to the substance after long-term abuse. The user's genetic predisposition, or lack thereof, can determine whether they reach this stage of addiction and will make it increasingly difficult to quit the addiction permanently. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay Pathways to drug addiction involve the following stages of drug addiction: experimentation, regular use, and addiction or dependence, and genetic predisposition plays a role in each of them. Experimentation occurs when the individual decides to try, or "experiment", with a substance, normally due to peer pressure or a party culture focused on psychological pleasure, which can be achieved by an effect that only certain substances can provide. . Yet this only happens when the substance, which is most likely illegal for recreational use, is readily available, and this availability plays an important role in drug culture and in determining who is most likely to abuse what. The experimental phase is crucial on the path to addiction, as this is when the experimenter decides whether or not to pursue recreational drug activity. If the individual has a family history of drug abuse, where one of their immediate or even distant relatives developed their own addiction, they are at a "50%" higher risk of abuse (https:// www.ncadd.org/). Most drugs experienced fall into one of the following categories: depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens. Depressants, sometimes called "downers," such as alcohol and opioids, can slow brain function, lower blood pressure, cause slurred speech, and ultimately slow heart rate and breathing, so that an overdose would most likely be caused by a heart attack or cardiac arrest. when the heart stops beating. Stimulants, usually called "uppers", such as cocaine and amphetamines, lead to short-term exhaustion, apathy and depression, while long-term abuse gives way to feelings of hostility or of paranoia. Finally, hallucinogens, which are substances with hallucinatory effects, which include extracts of marijuana, hashish and BHO, and cause "an increase in heart rate, a decrease in coordination and balance and a state of unreal “dreamy” mind – peak in the first 30 minutes. » (http://www.drugfreeworld.org/). If the person decides to continue using the drug, it becomes a routine use, as they get high with their friends or alone, stimulating in a way.