Young women who drink, smoke and use drugs may not only have a genetic tendency for substance abuse, but they also may have a genetic tendency to choose friends who also abuse substances. These friends in turn reinforce their habits, according to a new study from Washington University in St. Louis.
Professor Arpana Agrawal and her colleagues studied 2000 female twins. By comparing identical and fraternal twins, they found that selection of friends had a genetic basis, and that some young women also have a genetic predisposition toward drug abuse.
"Nature and nurture do not just combine to produce a woman who drinks, smokes or uses drugs -nurture can also increase the effect of nature," said Dr. Agrawal.
The study appeared in the journal Addiction.
Labels: friendships, alcohol
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