Inherited addictions - Deadly legacy no one wants

THERE are few situations more animated by sanctimony than when a person once addicted to nicotine or alcohol lectures someone who still smokes or drinks about the dangers of their habits.

Equally, there are few situations more questionable than the one where a young person begins smoking, because they come from a home where one or both parents smoke. They have become addicted to nicotine through passive smoking and parental example that is less than exemplary.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) yesterday published research that confirmed that smoking is a deadly legacy passed from generation to generation.