What Is The Collaborative Study On The Genetics Of Alcoholism?

“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.

Although the collection of findings from several types of genetically informative research designs does provide compelling evidence for the influence of genetics and heritability on the risk for addiction, they do

Alcoholism is identified by severe dependence or addiction and cumulative patterns of characteristic behaviors. An alcoholic’s frequent intoxication is obvious and destructive; interfering with the ability to socialize and work. These behavior patterns may lead to loss of work and relationships (Merck, 1999). Strong evidence suggests that alcoholism runs in families (Schuckit, 2009). According to a study published by Schuckit (1999) monozygotic twins were at a significantly higher risk of alcoholism if one twin was an alcoholic. Ehlers, Lind, and Wilhelmsen (2008) conducted a study to investigate the influence a single opioid receptor on alcohol dependence rates among Native Americans. Ehlers, et al. (2008) noted that people with lower

The taste was awful. My friend drank a little bit and stopped, unable to take anymore. The thing was, I couldn’t stop” (Sheff, N., 2009, p. 2). This coincides with the risk factor of association with peers who are drug abusers, as it was his friend’s idea to start drinking, but it more so shows the fact that Nic has uncontrollable genetic factors that predisposed him to SUD. This is indicated by Nic explaining that he did not enjoy the taste of alcohol but he could not stop himself from drinking more. “Much of [the risk of SUD] may be conferred genetically” (Weinberg, 2001, p. 345).

Some researchers claim that there are some evidence for genetic component in the sensitivity to alcoholism among Native Americans tribes. Kendler and colleagues (1997) estimated that among males, genetic factors account for 50 to 60 percent of the risk for alcoholism [American Journal]. Evidence of a genetic component to alcoholism raises the question of whether certain ethnic and cultural groups that have high rates of alcoholism, such as American Indians, may be predisposed to higher alcohol consumption. Research has identified differences among population groups in the enzyme systems that regulate alcohol metabolism those differences are thought to account for some cultural differences in drinking patterns. For instance, among many Asian

I think that although genetics are involved with my cousin’s disease, I feel that the larger factor involved is his learned behaviors from his family and friends. He now lives with his dad in a drinking environment where it is accepted and encouraged. I think that his social factors played a huge role in his alcoholism. He has been exposed to alcohol in his home life as well as the pressures from his peers. Not only is he drinking with his dad, but all of dad’s friends. When he is exposed to alcohol abuse constantly, it is an increased likelihood that the behavior will be repeated by my cousin. It is difficult for him to stay away from bad drinking habits when he is surrounded by an atmosphere of drinking. On weekend’s I believe their motto is “Let the good times roll”.

Webster’s New World Dictionary defines alcoholism as a chronic condition which is mainly characterized by excessive and compulsive consumption of and dependence on alcohol as well as nutritional and mental disorders. This definition depicts alcoholism as a disease that is beyond one’s control. It has however been argued in some circles that alcoholism is a choice and the idea of alcoholism as a disease is a myth. Since it is an individual choice to take alcohol, alcoholism is a consequence of free will. Both sides of the debate are discussed in this paper and it is my conclusion that there is strong evidence that suggests that alcoholism is a disease that needs treatment.

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.

Alcoholism doesn’t happen all at once; this disease takes hold of a person slowly, over time. There are

Based on the results of Swedish adoption studies, some researchers divide alcoholism into two types. Type I, the most common, occurs in both men and women and is associated with adult-onset alcohol dependence. This form, also known as "milieu-limited" alcoholism, appears to be the result of "genetic predisposition and environmental provocation," according to NIAAA's 1991 publication Alcohol Research: Promise for the Decade--that is, the development of alcoholism in these cases is an interaction between inherited predisposition and the person's life situations.

These affected individual tends to expressed seeing someone in his or her family who struggles with alcoholism that plays a contributing role in the affecter life. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism “suggest that people of Asian decent have a specific type of gene that makes the experience of alcohol unpleasant”. Individuals who have this gene have a bad reaction when tasting liquor. For example, when consuming liquor they experience a feeling of flushness and faintness, making it likely that these individual are less likely to become

Ellis and Zucker believe genetic risk factors play a role in the acquisition of alcoholism, such as physiological responses to alcohol, and the process of metabolization. They feel inherited biology is a significant area where familial influence can influence a child in developing alcoholism. However, Ellis and Zucker go on to say that the child¡¦s psychosocial environment cannot be ignored, since there is much familial influence in this realm as well (Ellis & Zucker, 1997).

Alcoholism is the abuse of substance like liquor that can cause mental illnesses and differentiation of behavior and make major effects to the body and the way it functions. The CREB gene has been founded to be an effect to alcoholism. "This is the first direct evidence that a deficiency in the CREB gene is associated with anxiety and alcohol-drinking behaviors," said Subhash Pandey, associate professor of psychiatry and director of neuroscience alcoholism research at the UIC College of Medicine. The CREB gene has protein neuropeptide, that when it is too low with the combination of anxiety and a lot of alcohol consumption, alcoholism is activated. In most families, across the world someone is suffering with the disease of substance abuse. Everywhere scientist and professionals have said that alcohol addiction is a gene disorder that is passed down from parents to their offspring. There are many studies that may support the theory of

Is there some genetic difference that perhaps allows some to realize when an elevated blood alcohol level has been reached and transmits a message to the brain to stop drinking that others do not have? These questions have not been clearly answered and are under persistent investigation.

Alcohol addiction is one of the leading causes of preventable death and is estimated to cause about 10% of total disability-adjusted life years lost (Heiling). Alcohol abuse disproportionately affects younger, able-bodied individuals in the prime of their lives thus, this disablement places an extensive economic burden on society through loss of productivity as well as a drain on the health care system. Despite these facts, beyond liver damage, little is understood about the widespread impact of prolonged alcohol abuse on humans. Discovering the more general effect that alcohol has over the entire body through a behavioral endocrinology lens may provide insight into genetic mechanisms that make individuals predisposed to alcoholism as well as potential treatments for recovery. This review will center around the primary question of what impact does alcohol abuse impart on sexual behavior in humans? In order to answer this question, this review will examine the immediate causation of alcoholism as well as its evolutionary and adaptive causation by compiling current research in human, rat, and baboon models. Furthermore, this review will provide a basic background of the neurobiology of alcoholism, critique potential shortcomings in current research, and suggest directions for further research for the impact of alcohol dependency on sexual behavior.