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Just like alcohol addictions, all substance use disorders have environmental influencers as well. There are also gene variants that can predispose people to develop a mental health disorder like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Individuals who suffer from mental illness often turn to alcohol as a coping mechanism. For this reason, a person may end up developing an alcohol use disorder to self-soothe their condition. Genes play a significant role in our overall health and risk of developing many health conditions.
Interestingly, in the United States, family wealth is also a significant factor. Inpiduals from families with an annual household income of more than $75,000 are more likely to become an alcoholic than those with lower means. Our genes determine our physical traits and to some extent, our behavioral characteristics.
The genetics of alcohol dependence
Chronic heavy drinking also increases the risk of kidney disease, diabetes, and several cancers. If a person is predisposed to metabolize alcohol in such a way that the pleasurable effects are more prominent than feeling nauseous, overheating, or experiencing mood swings, the person may be more likely to develop alcohol use disorder. When it comes down to it, the environmental elements of growing up with an alcoholic parent are just as impactful, if not more, than genetic predisposition.
Other risk factors for developing AUD are mental illness like depression, drinking from an early age, and experiencing a traumatic event or events. While people with higher incomes were more likely to drink, they were also more inclined to do so moderately. For lower-income individuals, those polled fell into wildly different categories — some drinking heavily, some not at all. The study also surmised that genetics had a “bigger influence” on the drinking habits of people with more financial challenges, while environmental influences tipped the scales more heavily for people who made more money. Detoxing with the assistance of medical supervision, followed by participation in a rehab program, is the best approach for an individual struggling with alcohol addiction.
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These can be related to childhood or upbringing, family environment, social situations, or with a significant other. It is now appreciated that a whole spectrum of allele frequencies and
effect sizes may play roles, from common variations with small effects through
rare variants of large effect. As whole exome and whole genome sequencing
technologies come down in cost, they are being applied to identifying rare
variants. For studies of rare variants, families are quite valuable for sorting
out true positives from the background of individual variations that we all
harbor. Alcohol is metabolized primarily in the liver, although there
is some metabolism in the upper GI tract and stomach.
- An experiment using rats at Linköping University in Sweden discovered that those with reduced expression of the gene GAT-3 become addicted to alcohol.
- Some can be personality-based, and the majority are surprisingly physical traits exhibited while drinking that discourage excess.
- Partly — heredity is only responsible for about half of one’s risk of alcoholism.
Some of the twin pairs were identical and had the same genes, while some were fraternal, no more genetically linked than any other siblings. While heavy drinking was certainly a prerequisite for AUD, scientists concluded that variants in several genes — DRD2 and SIX3, for example — may need to be present for people to develop AUD. Research conducted by the National Institute of Health has shown, however, that the tendency of repeated alcohol abuse in families isn’t enough to support the genetic argument on its own. People with maladaptive family dynamics are more likely to abuse substances.
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The alcoholic parent is constantly drinking and may have a lax attitude about substance use in general. Even if your parents aren’t textbook alcoholics, but drink regularly and have permissive attitudes about alcohol, research shows you’re more likely to abuse alcohol. Now that you have a better understanding of the question “is alcoholism genetic? ” you may be wondering how you can get help for a genetic issue like this, but it is always possible to end the addiction.
Is there any scientific evidence that your genes may predispose you to become an alcoholic if your parents or grandparents are? While many studies have been done and experts agree that there is a hereditary connection, genetics is not the only factor and we don’t quite know the full impact it has on alcoholism. We mentioned is alcoholism inherited that there does seem to be a genetic aspect to higher alcohol tolerance – research shows that genetics are responsible for about half of an individual’s risk for developing alcohol use disorder. Some can be personality-based, and the majority are surprisingly physical traits exhibited while drinking that discourage excess.
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It is estimated that while there are over a dozen genes that contribute to a tendency towards alcohol abuse, each on its own shows a limited correlation to alcoholism without environmental stressors. Therefore, the more genes present, the higher the likelihood of developing AUD, and thus we can infer that genetics do play some role. Family studies have consistently demonstrated that there is a substantial
genetic contribution to alcohol dependence. Over the past two decades, several genes
underlying susceptibility have been identified. Extensive study of the alcohol
metabolizing genes has demonstrated their important role in disease risk. Additional
genes have been identified that have expanded our understanding of the genes and
pathways involved; however, the number of findings to date is modest.
