Many people on my mom's side of the family have problems with addiction. There are no drug addicts as far as I know, unless you count nicotine as a drug. The majority of her family, which is a pretty big family (she was one of ten children) has some sort of addiction, be it smoking, drinking, or gambling. Some have all 3, the trifecta of addictive personalities. I think addiction is a genetic trait that can be passed down, but just because someone in your family is an alcoholic, it doesn't mean you're going to be. It makes you more likely to develop an addiction, but somewhere along the line there is something going on in your life that causes the addiction. Take my mom for example, knowing that the vast majority of her family are alcoholics, she very rarely drinks, maybe twice a year, and she never gets drunk. She doesn't smoke, or gamble, other than the occasional poker game with our neighbors. Who knows what makes her different from some of her siblings. Maybe they have some emotional void that they're trying to fill with whatever they are addicted to. I am aware that because of my family history, I am much more likely to develop an addiction, although I feel like I'm not going to care until I actually develop an addiction. I guess that why my mom freaks out when I go to play poker with my friends.