View. comments. The multi-millionaire owner of the company that makes Segway motorised scooters has died in a freak accident while riding one of his vehicles. Jimi Heselden, 62, was found dead in a river after plunging 80 feet over a limestone cliff near his home.
Prevention. For decades, researchers have been trying to figure out what leads some people to develop an addiction (whether to a substance or a behavior) while others never become addicted at all. Addictive substances and behaviors share a common trait: In general, they trigger a neurological response that activates the brainâs reward system; this brings someone who is addicted back for more, again and again.
Addiction is a chronic disease similar to other chronic diseases such as type II diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Human studies of addictive behaviors have clearly implicated both environmental and genetic influences, as well as interactions between the two.enes can also play a role in protecting individuals from addiction. As with all complex diseases, environmental risk and protective factors interact with genetics to determine the course and outcome of disease.