I'm pretty sure that I have a genetic predisposition for addiction. Both of my parents drank ... way too much in my opinion. My older brother also got involved with drinking alcohol and my younger brother drinks and has had a problem with chewing tobacco. I also have uncles that drink and smoke. For my older brother, the buzz of a few drinks was not enough. He sought out out a bigger high and turned to other drugs ... marijuana at first, then cocaine, meth, and his drug of choice, Rx pain medications. It was his addiction to pain medication that killed him ... he OD'd about a year ago.

Because I saw how having those addictions could screw up someones life, I stayed well clear of any of them. I do not drink and have never even had the desire to try. I also stay well clear of any recreational drugs. I have had numerous sprained ankles and even had surgery to take care of a herniated disc in my neck ... and at most I took one or two pain pills at those times.

My ex-wife drinks ... heavily at times. I fear that my children may have inherited this predisposition for addictive behaviors as well. Fortunately, to date, none of my children has expreimented or even drank. My oldest is a teenager and the others are not far behind. I have a bit of anxiety about them turning to alcohol or something else as they get older and start to experience more of the pressures and stresses that are part of life.

However, most of all, my anxiety stems from how I would react if one of my children started to drink or sought escape through drugs. I have made the choice to keep that stuff out of my life and my wife agrees with this position. She, too, has avoided alcohol and drugs. We have a no tolerance attitude when it comes to this stuff ... but we love our children dearly and I'm nervous about what COULD happen in the future. There are times that it keeps me up at night. Any suggestions?