Genetic predisposition is one of the three main factors that contribute to the development of substance abuse. According to this, there is a probability of addiction occurring when an individual has a family history of alcohol/drug addiction and his or her genetic information contains the particular set of genes, i.e. encoded information present in a person's DNA, that control the behavior of addiction and are expressed when the individual begins to use drugs recreationally and becomes dependent. However, a genetic predisposition does not mean that the individual is inherently a drug addict or that they will end up having a substance abuse problem. Only after taking into account certain factors and the onset of a recreational drug habit, genetic predisposition kicks in and the user develops both a psychological and physiological dependence on the substance after long-term abuse. The user's genetic predisposition, or lack thereof, can determine whether this stage of addiction is reached and will make it increasingly difficult to permanently end the addiction. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayPathways to drug addiction involve the following stages of substance abuse: experimentation, routine use, and dependence 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 group culture focused on psychological pleasure, which can be achieved with a high that only certain substances can provide . However, this only happens when the substance, which is most likely illegal for recreational use, is readily available, and this availability plays a big role in drug culture and who is most likely to abuse what. The experimental phase is crucial in the path to addiction, since it is at this time that the experimenter decides whether or not he wishes to carry out the recreational activity of the drug. If the individual has a family history of drug abuse, in which one of their immediate or even distant relatives has developed their own habit, they are at a “50%” increased risk of abuse (https://www.ncadd.org /).Many of the drugs tested fall into one of the following categories: depressants, stimulants and hallucinogens. Depressants, sometimes called “sedatives,” like alcohol and opioids, can slow brain function, lower blood pressure, cause slurring, and ultimately slow pulse and breathing such that an overdose would most likely cause from a heart attack or cardiac arrest, when the heart stops beating. Stimulants, usually called “stimulants,” such as cocaine and amphetamines, lead to short-term exhaustion, apathy and depression, while long-term abuse gives way to feelings of hostility or paranoia. Finally, hallucinogens, which are substances with hallucinatory effects, which include extracts of marijuana, hashish and BHO, and which cause "increased heart rate, reduced coordination and balance and an unreal" dreamy "mental state", reach the peak within the first 30 minutes. " (http://www.drugfreeworld.org/). If the person decides to continue using the drug, the use becomes routine, as he gets high with his friends or alone, overstimulating the pleasure centers of the brain and capturing the individual. This interferes with the wiring of the brain and causes the mind, and consequently the body, to be unable to function without that substance. Periodic use of the substance passes.