in understand the origins and plausible causes of addiction. There has been great debate over what exactly is the root of addiction in the human population. It seems to be that there are a variety of causes that hold influence on their susceptibility to addiction towards different substances or behaviors. In terms of biological causes alone there is more than one solution. One of the models for a biological explanation for addiction is centered on the brain’s reward system. Drugs can ‘hijack’ the brains reward center by depleting the brains natural ability to create neurotransmitters known for creating the sensation of pleasure, such as dopamine, or serotonin. Thus this can lead to the development of dependency on the drug to recreate that …show more content…
In one study researchers found that there were two outcomes between men and woman who had cocaine dependencies. Different parts of their brains were activated at different times when cued with a drug vs. a stress cue. Women were provoked in stress cue states while men in drug cue states (Sinha, 2011). In terms of getting over addiction there may be different paths that either gender should take, women towards mindfulness techniques and men towards managing exposure or going through a 12-step program may be more helpful for men (Potenza et al., 2012). There are also some differences in what addictive substances each genders are more likely to participate in. For example men are more likely to develop alcohol or cocaine dependencies and have pathological gambling issues than females. On the other side females are more likely than males to encounter compulsive shopping more than males over the course of a lifetime (Potenza, 2013a). There are possible motivational differences as to why men and women engage in certain addictive …show more content…
There is an enzyme that relies on genetic coding to be produced. Those who have this enzyme have slower rates of alcohol metabolism and produce unpleasant responses (such as hangovers or vomiting) to mass consumption of alcohol (Potenza, 2013). The consequences of the enzyme are protective in nature and increase the resiliency from alcoholism. Data from past twin students have researchers suggesting that 30% to 70% of the factors that cause addictions are genetic (Potenza, 2013). However in another study researchers have proposed that heritability of alcoholism is around 50%, this suggests that both genetic/biological factors are equally important to environmental factors (Enoch, 2007). This is seen in examples of individual differences, where people who have difference genetic backgrounds grow up in similar environments and can end up entirely different from each other and vice versa (Potenza, 2013). Some of the environmental factors that result in alcoholism in families with history of the disease could be derived from watching the behavior and developing coping skills, alcohol availability, parental attitude and peer pressure (Enoch, 2007). Stressors such as harsh/inconsistent discipline, hostility, rejection, physical and sexual abuse are linked to addiction. For example 70% of female drug users had a history of being a survivor of childhood