Is alcoholism inherited is a great question to ask…as long as you do not get hung up on the answer. The real issue is if alcohol addiction or alcoholism is causing problems in your life.
The Short Answer: Is alcoholism inherited?
Research shows that the risk for developing alcoholism does indeed run in families. The genes a person inherits partially explain this pattern, but lifestyle is also a factor. Currently, researchers are working to discover the actual genes that put people at risk for alcoholism. Your friends, the amount of stress in your life, and how readily available alcohol is also are factors that may increase your risk for alcoholism.
But remember: Risk is not destiny. Just because alcoholism tends to run in families doesn’t mean that a child of an alcoholic parent will automatically become an alcoholic too. Some people develop alcoholism even though no one in their family has a drinking problem. By the same token, not all children of alcoholic families get into trouble with alcohol. Knowing you are at risk is important, though, because then you can take steps to protect yourself from developing problems with alcohol.
The Long Answer: Is alcohol addiction inherited?
If you are among the millions of people in this country who have a parent, grandparent, or other close relative with alcoholism, you may have wondered what your family’s history of alcoholism means for you. Are problems with alcohol a part of your future? Is your risk for becoming an alcoholic greater than for people who do not have a family history of alcoholism? If so, what can you do to lower your risk? Many scientific studies, including research conducted among twins and children of alcoholics, have shown that genetic factors influence alcoholism. These findings show that children of alcoholics are about four times more likely than the general population to develop alcohol problems.Children of alcoholics also have a higher risk for many other behavioral and emotional problems. But alcoholism is not determined only by the genes you inherit from your parents. In fact, more than one half of all children of alcoholics do not become alcoholic.
Research shows that many factors influence the risk some factors raise the risk while others lower it.Genes are not the only things children inherit from their parents. How parents act and how they treat each other and their children has an influence on children growing up in the family.These aspects of family life also affect the risk for alcoholism. Researchers believe a person’s risk increases if he or she is ina family with the following difficulties:
An [tag-self]alcoholic[/tag-self] parent is depressed or has other psychological problems; Both parents abuse alcohol and other drugs; The parents’ alcohol abuse is severe; and conflicts lead to aggression and violence in the family.
The good news is that many children of alcoholics from even the most troubled families do not develop drinking problems. Just as a family history of alcoholism does not guarantee that you will become an alcoholic, neither does growing up in a very troubled household with alcoholic parents. Just because alcoholism tends to run in families does not mean that a child of an alcoholic parent will automatically become an alcoholic too. The risk is higher but it does not have to happen. If you are worried that your family’s history of alcohol problems or your troubled family life puts you at risk for becoming alcoholic, here is some commonsense advice to help you:
People with a family history of [tag-tec]alcoholism[/tag-tec], who have a higher risk for becoming dependent on alcohol, should approach moderate drinking carefully. Maintaining moderate drinking habits may be harder for them than for people without a family history of drinking problems. Once a person moves from moderate to heavier drinking, the risks of social problems (for example, drinking and driving, violence, and trauma) and medical problems (for example, liver disease, brain damage, and cancer) increase greatly. Talk to a health care professional—Discuss your concerns with a doctor, nurse, nurse practitioner, or other health care provider. They can recommend groups or organizations that could help you avoid alcohol problems. If you are an adult can assess your drinking habits to see if you need to cut back on your drinking and advise you about how to do that.
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hmmm… Very interesting. I once asked a friend of mine questions like these. Yet both of us don’t know the answer. I was wondering if there’s a study about this. Great post.