Speaking from experience having worked for rehabs and having relatives addicted to everything from chew to crack, and a former party girl who chose not to snort or pop, I feel justified in saying that getting or staying addicted becomes a matter of choice. We all as human beings have the power to choose unlike lower forms of life. i refer to the smoking animal who will conditionally accept a cigarette after having kicked the habit vs. the teenager with alcoholic parents who chooses responsible drinking by being the designated driver or only two. My husband is a retired alchy. With his meds an occasional beer is it. We have booze in the cupboard that's been aged over 5 years. I like a cold one or two after yard work or with friends. In my 20s I could down a case in one night. A crash, sexual assault, day's suspension at work and later parenthood, forced me to choose to wise up. Fortunately, I and my siblings must not have the so-called addict gene sequence my spouse's family must. My 20 something prefers cola to booze and has never tried smoking or drugs. Her cousins are a mess. My husband and I chose not to smoke ever again when she was born. Honestly, though, it took me a few months more weaning and buying a new house to reach the point of no return. Now it is both a  matter of choice and middle age that prevents me from taking that one puff or next drink which will cause me unbelievable pain the next day (or embarrassment from activities the day before.) I see other family members who have quit on and off, but lack the will power to stop by rationalizing behaviors with such idiocy as, " We're all gonna die from something . . .air, water, food, work, war . . .so I might as well enjoy it while it lasts." or "I'll probably die before I'm 30, 40, 50 anyway." or "If this is my only vice, my kids are lucky" (which is the lamest since the question is which are they referring to the smoke, chew, or drink none that can be purchased with food stamps.) I smoked and drank in my 20's, but chose not to get pregnant (maybe a little lucky,too) because I could afford to. What baffles me is the amount in check-out lines who are "poor" people on food stamps, but buy those cartons and bottles, yet yell at the kid to "put that (candy,gum, cheap novelty) back. It's OK to make a kid self-disciplined at the checkout, because as a parent these addicts take the "do as I say not as I do" seriously. Yet more smokers and addicts come from smokers and addicts than the other way arround. I guess those addicts from nonaddicted parents got the gene from the grandparents. Which to me is another way of saying, "It's not my fault, I was born this way." At least some people aknowledge that before addiction there was a time to just say,"NO!"