| Course | ADC 510 Addiction Theories and Practice |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 3 |
| Paper type | Biology paper with case |
| Length | About 1,045 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Psychology and Addiction Studies |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for ADC 510 Module 3
Inherited Risk, Not Inherited Fate: Genetics, the Brain and a Client's Family History
Student Name
Psychology and Addiction Studies Program, Aspen University
ADC 510: Addiction Theories and Practice
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Inherited Risk, Not Inherited Fate: Genetics, the Brain and a Client's Family History
Kayleigh, twenty-two, sought counseling at an outpatient program in southern Ohio after a weekend of heavy drinking frightened her. Like her counselor and the program, she is invented for this course. Her father has drunk heavily for as long as she can remember, and her grandfather died of liver disease. "Is it in my genes?" she asked. "Am I going to end up like them?" This paper reviews what genetic and biological research says and how her counselor might answer.
How Heritability Is Estimated
Twin research sets pairs who are genetically identical beside same-sex pairs who share roughly half their genetic variation. If a trait is more similar in identical than fraternal twins, genes are likely to contribute. Adoption research asks whether a child raised apart from birth parents comes to resemble them or the family that raised them, which pulls inherited influence apart from household influence. From such comparisons researchers estimate heritability: the proportion of variation in a trait within a population that can be attributed to genetic differences.
What the Studies Show
Verhulst et al. (2015) pooled every suitable twin and adoption study of alcohol use disorder they could find. They estimated heritability at about one half, with a small contribution from shared family environment and the remainder from environmental influences unique to each person. Estimates were similar for men and women and across study types. The remaining variation was largely attributed to experiences unique to each person rather than to growing up in the same household, a reminder that siblings raised together can follow very different paths. The finding confirms that genetic factors contribute substantially to differences in risk, while showing that environment contributes about as much.
Kendler et al. (2003) studied a large sample of twins to examine how genetic risks for different disorders are related. They found that genetic risk factors grouped into two broad dimensions: an internalizing dimension underlying depression and anxiety disorders and an externalizing dimension underlying alcohol and drug dependence, conduct disorder and adult antisocial behavior. Much of the genetic risk for substance use disorders, in other words, is shared with a broader tendency toward behavioral disinhibition rather than being specific to a single substance.
| Common belief | What the evidence shows |
|---|---|
| Addiction is 50 percent genetic for each person | The figure describes why people in a group differ, not how much of one person's risk comes from genes |
| If it is genetic, it cannot be changed | Genetic risk shapes likelihood; environment and choices still change outcomes |
| There is an alcoholism gene | Many genes, each of small effect, contribute, along with shared risk for related behaviors |
| A family history means certain addiction | Most children of parents with alcohol problems do not develop an alcohol use disorder |
The Biology of Addiction
Volkow et al. (2016) summarized research on how addiction changes the brain, describing a cycle with three stages. In the binge and intoxication stage, drugs act on reward circuits, especially in the basal ganglia, releasing dopamine and, with repetition, attaching strong motivational value to drug-related cues. In the withdrawal and negative affect stage, systems in the extended amygdala that respond to stress become more active and reward systems less responsive, so that people use to relieve distress rather than to feel good. In the preoccupation and anticipation stage, changes in the prefrontal cortex weaken executive control, making it harder to resist cues and craving. In their view, these shifts account for addiction's persistence and for how often people return to use, and that genetic and developmental factors influence how vulnerable a person's brain is to them.
Family Environment as Well as Genes
Children of parents with alcohol problems inherit more than genes. They often grow up with unpredictability, conflict, financial strain and parents who are emotionally unavailable. These experiences are part of the environmental contribution to risk and can shape how a person copes with stress later. Twin studies separate genetic from shared environmental influence across populations, but for an individual, genes and upbringing are intertwined. Kayleigh's counselor therefore treated her history as both biological and biographical.
Is Risk Specific to Alcohol?
Kendler and colleagues' finding of a shared externalizing dimension suggests that Kayleigh's inherited risk may not be limited to alcohol. A tendency toward impulsive or disinhibited behavior can show up as heavy drinking, other drug use or risky behavior generally. For her, this means caution applies to other substances too, and that strengths in self-regulation, which can be built, are protective across the board.
Applying the Evidence to Kayleigh
Kayleigh's counselor gave her a truthful answer. Her family history does raise her risk; genetic factors contribute about half of the differences in risk between people, and having two affected relatives on one side of her family is meaningful. But it does not decide her future. Most people raised by a parent who drank heavily do not go on to develop the disorder, and the other half of the variation in risk comes from environment and experience, much of which she can influence. The brain research explains why early heavy drinking matters: repeated binges begin to train the reward and stress systems the model describes, so cutting back now protects her.
What Follows for Prevention and Treatment
Knowing her history, Kayleigh can make informed choices: limiting how much she drinks, avoiding drinking to cope with stress, noticing warning signs such as needing more to feel the same effect and seeking help early. The counselor also explored her own experience of growing up with a father who drank, since stress and family disruption are part of the environmental half of the picture. In treatment more generally, the shared externalizing dimension Kendler and colleagues described suggests that addressing impulsivity and conduct problems early may reduce substance use risk, and Volkow and colleagues' stages suggest targets for treatment at each phase of the cycle.
Conclusion
Twin and adoption studies show that about half the variation in risk for alcohol use disorder is heritable, and Kendler and colleagues show that much genetic risk is shared across externalizing disorders. Volkow, Koob and McLellan describe how addiction changes reward, stress and control systems. For Kayleigh, the evidence means elevated risk, not fate, and a reason to make informed choices now.
References
Kendler, K. S., Prescott, C. A., Myers, J., & Neale, M. C. (2003). The structure of genetic and environmental risk factors for common psychiatric and substance use disorders in men and women. Archives of General Psychiatry, 60(9), 929-937. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.60.9.929
Verhulst, B., Neale, M. C., & Kendler, K. S. (2015). The heritability of alcohol use disorders: A meta-analysis of twin and adoption studies. Psychological Medicine, 45(5), 1061-1072. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291714002165
Volkow, N. D., Koob, G. F., & McLellan, A. T. (2016). Neurobiologic advances from the brain disease model of addiction. New England Journal of Medicine, 374(4), 363-371. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra1511480
Reading the ADC 510 Module 3 assignment instructions
The third module of ADC 510 commonly asks for a paper on genetic and biological factors in addiction. The Module 3 instructions in your Aspen course decide the details; the client here is invented. Explain how heritability is estimated and what it means. Report findings from twin, adoption or molecular studies with their sources. Describe how risk may be shared across disorders. Outline the brain systems involved in addiction. Apply the evidence to a client, avoiding determinism, and say what the client can do with the information. Discuss implications for prevention and treatment. Cite primary research in APA 7, and define technical terms when you first use them. Close with what the evidence means in practice, for prevention, for treatment and for the person in front of you.
How the ADC 510 Module 3 example is put together
Kayleigh, a composite client, fears she will become an alcoholic like her father and grandfather. The pooled twin and adoption estimate from Verhulst, Neale and Kendler puts the heritable share of risk near one half. Kendler and colleagues' Archives of General Psychiatry twin study shows substance use disorders sharing genetic risk with conduct disorder and antisocial behavior. The review by Volkow, Koob and McLellan traces addiction's cycle through three phases, from intoxication to withdrawal to craving. A four-row table explains what heritability means. The counselor's explanation turns family history into a reason for informed choices rather than a sentence. A section on family environment notes that growing up with a parent who drinks is itself part of the risk.
Reading the ADC 510 Module 3 grading rubric
Biology papers earn credit for accurate explanation of genetic evidence, correct interpretation of heritability and application that avoids determinism. This example explains twin and adoption methods before reporting findings. The heritability table addresses common misunderstandings directly. Shared genetic liability is explained with a primary study and connected to the client's own risk with other substances. The brain model is summarized accurately and connected to the client's experience. The application tells the client the truth about her elevated risk while showing how much remains within her control, which is the balance graders look for. The paper also links the shared externalizing dimension to prevention, a step from evidence to practice.
ADC 510 Module 3 help from the desk
Genetics papers often say addiction is "50 percent genetic" as if that applied to each person. Make clear that a heritability figure is about differences across a group, never a slice of any one person's odds. Avoid implying that genes determine outcomes; environment and choices matter. Use primary studies. Explain the brain model in plain terms. When applying to a client, be honest about elevated risk without frightening them. Suggest practical steps that follow from family history, such as noticing early warning signs and being cautious with alcohol during stressful periods. Explain technical terms like heritability in a sentence a client could repeat to a friend.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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ADC 510 Module 3 questions, answered
What does ADC 510 Module 3 usually ask for?
Aspen's ADC 510 covers genetic and biological factors in this module, so a paper on heritability, shared risk and brain changes in addiction is typical. Look at your Module 3 prompt.
How heritable is alcohol use disorder?
Verhulst, Neale and Kendler's meta-analysis of twin and adoption studies estimated heritability at about 50 percent.
Does a family history of addiction mean I will become addicted?
No. It raises the odds, yet most sons and daughters of heavy drinkers never develop the disorder themselves, and upbringing and choices weigh heavily.
Where can I find a free ADC 510 Module 3 sample paper?
This page has the full paper: heritability explained in a table, shared genetic risk, the brain's addiction cycle and a client's family history.
What brain changes occur in addiction?
Volkow, Koob and McLellan set out a three-phase cycle, using, then coming down and feeling worse, then craving and planning the next use, with a different brain network driving each.