Genetic Causes

I grew up being told that addiction runs in the family and that it is inherited. The Etiology and Natural History of Alcoholism article (n.d.) does, in fact, mention that genetics play a role but other factors such as social, psychological, and environmental are also reasons to contribute to addiction. In turn, genes are not solely supported as the only cause for susceptibility. In fact, “[m]ost offspring of an alcoholic parent DO NOT develop alcohol use problems or disorders in their lifetime.” (Module 2: Etiology and Natural History of Alcoholism, n.d.)

“The statistical associations between genetic factors and alcohol abuse are very strong” (McNeece & DiNitto, 2012). However, there is still much debate over the validity of genetics as a definite cause for addiction. Perhaps, the reason for this is because the number of children of alcoholics that go on to become alcoholics is still small. Additionally, genetic predisposition cannot explain the number of cases of alcoholics that did not come from alcoholic parents or families. In fact, addiction can be so prominent, that it remains even after the drug use has ended (McNeece & DiNitto, 2012). Therefore, the biological theory should not be ruled as it is based on what takes place in the body. There is no other theory that can explain how a person could still have addiction symptoms when the substance is absent from their system. Predisposition implies that there is a mutation or malfunction in the body that appears to cause a craving or susceptibility to becoming addicted to a substance.

Lastly, Cadoret et al. (1996) conducted one of the first studies that was in fact able to isolate the influence of environmental exposures from potential genetic confounds. In addition to family studies and adoption studies, there have been numerous large-scale twin studies with the aim of examining the role of genetics in susceptibility to addiction. However, the majority of the twin studies conducted have examined the heritability of alcohol abuse and dependence and have not examined the heritable influences on illicit drug use disorders. Past research such as the study by McGue (1998), indicate that the estimates of heritability of alcohol/abuse dependence have ranged from 50%-70%.

Mark Willenburg, director of treatment and recovery research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism stated, “People with mild to moderate alcohol disorders can be treated with medications or behavioral therapy with a primary care doctor, but many people can do this on their own without having a professional. This idea is teaching people how to reevaluate their drinking”(Roan 2). By saying this Dr. WIllenburg has changed the opinions of many speculators in the nation, but what he has failed to do throughout his investigations is to take a people who exceed the mark for moderate drinking into question. Alcoholism is defined a chronic disorder marked by excessive and usually compulsive drinking of alcohol leading to psychological and physical dependence or addiction (“Addiction” 1). The definition of alcoholism alone is enough to show that it is a serious problem, and it should be treated as such.

Prescott, C. A., Madden, P. A. F., & Stallings, M. C. (2006). Challenges in genetic studies of the etiology of substance use and substance use disorders: Introduction to the special issue. Behavior Genetics, 36(4), 473-482.

Why some people become alcoholics remains a mystery, although most scientists now agree that a combination of genetic and environmental factors increases a person's vulnerability.

Alcoholism has raised many debates over the truth of its nature. Many scholars argue that alcoholism can be treated as a disease. Such approach to defining alcoholism means denying that alcohol abusers own a choice. In consequence, the treatment related differs and may or may not actually help alcoholics recover. A wrong diagnostic of this addiction can lead to serious health issues; therefore, it is vital to answer the following question: Is alcoholism a disease? Most experts in this field criticises this view of alcoholism as a disease due to the fact that this theory simply lacks a cure. It also victimises alcohol abuser, hence, completely negating the power of will. Finally, the disease theory comes from a history of misinformation that has now resulted in the very source of confusion within our society. Alcoholism is extremely complex and affects all part of the abuser, the brain, the body, the genes, and the psychic; hence, it is hard to classify alcoholism as a whole Instead, it should be regarded in a case-by-case fashion.

While rising a glass every now and then may be okay, excessive alcohol consumption can lead to extreme alcohol abuse and even alcoholism. The society we live in is strongly prejudiced by alcohol, and affects people of all ages, gender, and background. It has been uncovered to millionaires to the homeless. Alcohol abuse has been a problem throughout the history of humanity; it is a disease which has caused many people to be overcome with trouble, problems, and debts also pattern of drinking that interferes with day-to-day activities. Alcoholism is a term that is widely recognized throughout the United States and the World. Alcoholism is a chronic disease, progressive and often turn fatal; it is a disorder and not due to other diseases or emotional problems. Many scientists have tried to pinpoint what Alcoholism is, and what this disease may be stemming from. Some people would dispute that alcoholism is only the over-consumption of alcohol; this statement is only somewhat true. An alcoholic is a person who relies on alcohol as a medium to help him or her deal with physical, emotional, or spiritual needs. It’s not always easy to see when drinking has crossed the line from moderate or social use to problem drinking. When dealing with Alcoholism a person over comes a lot of problems. Alcohol Abuse is high in the United States, “In the USA, 15% of Americans are problem drinkers, while between 5% to 10% of male and 3% to 5% of female drinkers could be diagnosed as alcohol

Alcoholism is an issue that a huge percentage of people in the world suffer from. Many people argue that alcoholism is an addiction but some may argue that it is a mental illness resulting from alcohol dependency. There is speculation about the cause of alcoholism but in truth it is still unknown to us. However, there are risk factors that can lead up to alcoholism. Many of these factors include: having a parent that struggles with alcoholism, stress, or if people live in a certain environment where alcohol is generally accepted. Regardless of what it might be, we can all agree that alcoholism can ruin a person's life and the people around them.

1. Biological Factors: Factors related to genetics and physiology of the person. Some people can control the amount of alcohol intake, while others enjoy drinking that urge them to repeat the behavior, turning it a habit. Alcohol dependence may be connected to up to 51 genes in several chromosome regions. These genes may be inherited by later generations, making them prone to drinking problems.

The primary goal of this paper is to challenge the belief that adult children of alcoholics tend to abuse alcohol as the result of bio-genetic composition, and to show instead the evidence that the unpredictable home environment in which alcoholics grow up may be responsible. I will also review the risk for alcohol abuse among and how growing up in a chaotic family environment affect adult children of alcoholics. Families with either one or two parents alcoholic they home life is in consist turmoil. They often have rules the children must follow and lack parental guidance. The children also to do not develop healthy coping skills and tend to be at risk of becoming alcoholic themselves due to their home environment. This kind of

First of all, the genetic inheritance theory is one of biological theories of addiction, and its perspective is that biological (genetic) inheritance influences the addiction behavior much stronger than environment and life experiences. The twin and adoption studies suggest the significance of genetic inheritance influences in male, and heritability of male twins’ studies is approximated from 49% to 64% (McGue, 1999). From the research, we can obvious to see how the

Does the environment that one grows up in contribute to alcoholism or is alcoholism determined by genetics? It wasn’t until 1991 that alcoholism was considered both a medical and psychiatric disease by the American Medical Association. Alcoholism is defined in the dictionary as a chronic disorder characterized by dependence on alcohol, repeated excessive use of alcoholic beverages, the development of withdrawal symptoms on reducing or ceasing intake, morbidity that may include cirrhosis of the liver, and decreased ability to function socially and vocationally. (dictionary.com). It is also defined as an addiction to the consumption of alcoholic liquor or the mental illness

And, although genetics may be a significant risk factor in women’s substance abuse, more evidence points to a familial influence – a combination of the effects of environment and genetics. Parental alcohol use increases the prevalence of alcohol use disorders among women by at least 50 percent.

Genetic factors play a major and very pertinent role in alcoholism. In actuality, genetic factors may account for half of the total risk for alcoholism. Alcoholism is such a complex disorder that a single gene is not likely to be the main culprit. However, researchers are investigating a number of inherited traits that make some individuals more susceptible to alcoholism than others. Some of the examples are listed below: