Generational Curse Of Choice
We don’t just inherit eye color and blood type. We inherit emotional templates, stress responses, and survival strategies. The term “generational trauma” has gained popularity in recent years, but what’s often overlooked is how choices influenced by that trauma—like substance use, avoidance, or even suicide—can take root as intergenerational patterns. These patterns aren’t always about genetics. They’re about neurochemical environments and behavioral blueprints children absorb from caregivers. When a parent uses alcohol or other substances to self-soothe, they may unintentionally teach their children that vulnerability must be numbed, not nurtured.
Research shows that children of parents with substance use disorders are more likely to develop similar issues themselves—not solely due to access or environment, but due to long-term changes in stress response systems. Chronic exposure to parental maladaptive coping (e.g., aggression, emotional withdrawal, escapism) alters the child’s HPA axis, reducing resilience and increasing impulsivity through disrupted cortisol and dopamine regulation (Pechtel & Pizzagalli, 2011). When stress becomes synonymous with fear rather than growth, the brain rewires for survival, not reflection.
The neurobiology of trauma and addiction overlaps significantly. Trauma-related dysregulation in serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine systems can increase both depression and risky behaviors like substance use and suicidality (Volkow et al., 2016). These neurotransmitters not only influence mood but also decision-making and reward-seeking behaviors. A parent struggling with suicidal ideation or addiction may have children who, through both observation and biology, develop the same dysregulated response to stress or rejection—seeing self-destruction not as an aberration, but as a modeled option.
We must stop romanticizing personal choice without acknowledging the neurochemical and psychological scaffolding behind it. What looks like a “bad decision” may be the result of generations of pain encoded in the brain. Breaking these cycles doesn’t come from willpower alone—it comes from care, therapy, and neuroscience-informed intervention. When we treat a parent, we’re not just helping one life. We’re shifting the narrative for every life that follows.
Scientific Citations
Pechtel, P., & Pizzagalli, D. A. (2011). Effects of early life stress on cognitive and affective function: an integrated review of human literature. Psychopharmacology, 214(1), 55–70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-010-2009-2
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
Yehuda, R., Daskalakis, N. P., Desarnaud, F., et al. (2013). Epigenetic biomarkers as predictors and correlates of symptom improvement following psychotherapy in combat veterans with PTSD. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 4, 118. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00118
