Link
Research has long indicted that there is a genetic link among many alcoholics, but how this is exactly passed on is not entirely known and continually debated. It also remains uncertain where heredity and environment come into play. Many alcoholics may drink excessively because they have grown up around family members or friends who drank often. However, studies point to genetic markers that predispose people to alcoholism, which would indicate alcoholism being passed down through families. Scientists continue to research the disease with the hope that the discovery of an exact genetic connection can lead to a prevention or even cure for alcoholism in the distant future.
Parental History
In psychiatrist George E. Vaillant's groundbreaking 1983 book, "The Natural History of Alcoholism," a sample of Boston men from adolescence to seniority revealed that Irish-Americans were nearly 10 times as likely to become alcoholic as their Italian, Jewish and Greek neighbors. However, people may still wonder if this is a matter of cultural upbringing rather than heredity. But a 1995 study of 90 patients at Beaujon Hospital in Paris, France, reported in Oxford Journals, shows there is a strong relationship between parental history of alcoholism and the presence of severe alcoholic disorder. A 1983 review on studies of adopted children shows a definite genetic influence on drinking habits and the occurrence of alcohol abuse among men, say researchers at King's College Hospital and Medical School in London, England.
Abnormality
There has been research that indicates some problem drinkers are born with psychological abnormalities that are either genetically transmitted or are from other factors, explains Stanton Peele, an author who has been investigating and writing about addiction since 1969. But there is not enough research to support that. There may be biological abnormalities in alcoholics that make it hard for the body to discriminate blood alcohol levels, leading alcoholics to show less effect from drinking, Peele says. These alcoholics will then drink more without sensing their condition. Biological links to alcoholism indicate that heredity is involved.
Populations
It is possible that heredity plays a part for many, but not all, alcoholics. This could have evolutionary or geographical reasons. For example, researchers at King's College in London point out studies that show there is an absence of certain body chemicals that create a loathing effect for alcohol consumption in half of the Asian populations. The absence may explain the low incidence of alcohol problems in Asian countries. If biological markers increase the risk of alcoholism or the absence of certain chemicals decrease those risks, research is suggesting heredity is playing a role.
