SOMETIMES THE PERSONALITY IS ADDICTIVE

Good morning, class. Today's topic is addiction and some of the
mistaken ideas we have about it.

Many of us who came of age in the Sixties believe drugs like heroin
and methamphetamine are more addictive than milder drugs like
marijuana. I know I used to believe that; in fact, I used to argue
that pot isn't even addictive. And I certainly felt heroin was more
addictive than a behavior where nothing was ingested, like gambling.

Well, surprise and double surprise! Based upon extensive scientific
research over the last 10 or 20 years, none of these assumptions are
true. It turns out heroin and meth aren't any more addictive than
cigarettes or grass or gambling.

How can this be? Well, it has recently become apparent that addiction
has little to do with the drug or food ingested, be it a narcotic,
psychedelic or sugar. Instead, it has everything to do with the
genetic code of the individual involved.

Owing to biochemical difference, certain people are more prone to
addiction than others. There are doctors who have used morphine on a
regular basis for 20 or 30 years, then abruptly quit and experience
few if any withdrawal pains. Similarly, there are people who have
consumed a pack or two of cigarettes every day for 20 years and than
decide to quit - cold turkey - and have no withdrawal symptoms
whatsoever. Not a single chill or tremor.

At the other extreme, some people are easily hooked on any damned
thing that comes down the pike, be it cocaine or coffee or soap operas
(yes, even soap operas.) Psychologists call them "addictive-prone"
personalities. If they smoke two cigarettes, they're immediately
hooked for life. Drop a hit of acid once and, thereafter, they never
want to come down. They can't drink just one cup of coffee in the
morning; they have to ingest caffeine all day long. What's more, if
their habitual behavior or drug of choice is discontinued, the
withdrawal pains are so agonizing they have to be institutionalized.
If they miss even one episode of "Young and the Restless" they come
completely unglued. (Norman Mailer was quite correct when he observed
that, for some people, "kicking a two-pack-a-day nicotine habit is
just as difficult as kicking heroin.")

Of course, most of us fall somewhere between these extremes. We can
consume alcohol socially without making complete fools of ourselves.
We can smoke weed now and then and not lapse into a continuous need to
be stoned 24/7. Of course, we can certainly be hooked, but it takes
longer and, when we decide to quit, the change isn't as traumatic.

It's important to note that addiction-prone individuals aren't
necessary "weaker" or less intelligent than anyone else. They're
simply prone to addiction, that's all. Some eminent, world-renowned
leaders and artists are addicts. Winston Churchill was an alcoholic.
Elton John and Ray Charles were into heroin. However, I'd quickly
point out that, for every Winston Churchill, there are tens of
thousands of wasted alcoholics crashed on city sidewalks and, for
every Elton John, there are tens of thousands of heroin junkies
shooting up behind garbage cans in rat-infested alleys.

Socially, these new insights into addiction could have some pretty
profound consequences. No one likes to be told he shouldn't do
something that other people can do. But that's simply the way it is.

On a more positive note, scientists are close to isolating the genes
responsible for addiction. When they accomplish this, addiction might
finally be laid to rest by simply adding a little protein to the
chromosome mix.

In the meantime, when your children ask you about addiction - assuming
your relationship is such that they will ask - tell them the truth:
depending on the individual, cigarettes and booze and anything else
from food to heroin, aren't necessarily addicting. Also explain how
dangerous drugs can be and emphasize that they shouldn't be played
with. But don't lie to your kids. Teenagers have a built in bunk
detector that can smell nonsense in a heartbeat.