What’s in your genes?

It’s the luck of the draw when it comes to the genes you were born with. But genes aren’t destiny. Genes are only part of the story – the other part is our experiences (or environmental factors, if you like) – they also matter in whether we develop these problems. By knowing if your genes increase your risk for substance use or mental health challenges you can take steps to reduce the likelihood you’ll ever develop problems. If you have already experienced problems, understanding your personalized risk profile can help support your path to recovery.

If you’re a parent who wants to engage your teen in meaningful conversations about substance use and addiction that’s wonderful! Engaged, supportive parents can reduce kids’ risk of developing problems. CARES may be a tool to help some families structure those conversations and provide meaningful risk information for adolescents who are mature enough to process the material.  We believe that parents are best positioned to gauge whether their adolescent is ready to understand the material and how to use the information to support their health and wellbeing. 

Our goal is to make CARES accessible to as many individuals as possible. Your purchase covers the cost of your DNA kit, shipping, DNA extraction and processing, the generation of genetic risk scores, the integration of genomic and behavioral information to create your profile, and maintaining the web platform. The Rutgers Addiction Research Center is currently able to provide CARES to individuals at a cost of $149.