Addiction Is A Tough Nut To Crack. You Can't Call It An Inherited Illness, But Genes Do Play A Role. That Discovery Fuels Hope For Powerful New Treatments.

It wrecks neighbourhoods, families and lives, and might be the most important public health problem faced by Western societies. Yet since chemists first isolated cocaine, morphine and heroin in the 19th century, physicians and scientists have struggled to explain addiction.

There's still much to learn, but with advances in genetics, technology and neuroscience, scientists say they're closer than ever to understanding why some people who try drugs get addicted and some don't.

[continues 1419 words]