Why alcoholism is genetic

Although people can inherit alcoholic tendencies, the development of an alcohol use disorder is also dependent on social and environmental factors.

Some who have inherited genes making them susceptible to alcoholism are responsible drinkers or never take a drink in their life. Research shows that genes are responsible for about half of the risk for AUD. Therefore, genes alone do not determine whether someone will develop AUD.

Environmental factors, as well as gene and environment interactions, account for the remainder of the risk. Learn More. There is not a singular gene solely responsible for alcoholism.

Identifying these genes is difficult because each plays a small role in a much larger picture. Yet studies have shown that certain combinations of genes have a strong relationship to alcoholism. There are also behavioral genes passed down that could influence a propensity for alcoholism. Mental illnesses, such as depression and schizophrenia, are more common in people with a family history of these disorders.

People with mental illness have a higher risk of turning to substance abuse as a way of coping. Mental disorders can be hereditary and environmental , which partially illuminates the complex link between genetics and addiction. Genetic makeup only accounts for half of the alcoholic equation. There are also countless environmental factors work, stress, relationships that may lead to alcoholism.

Our hereditary behaviors interact with our environment to form the basis of our decisions. Some people are more sensitive to stress, making it harder to cope with an unhealthy relationship or a fast-paced job.

Some people experience a traumatizing event and turn to alcohol to self-medicate. However, even those with a high genetic risk to substance abuse must first be driven by a nonhereditary factor to do it. The catalyst that leads to alcohol abuse is very often an environmental factor, such as work-related stress.

The more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance of developing an alcohol use disorder or addiction. Risk and protective factors are either environmental or biological. Some environmental factors that are particularly risky for those who are genetically inclined towards alcoholism include:.

Make a Call Those with a history of alcoholism in their family have the highest risk of becoming alcoholics. If you have multiple relatives with alcohol addictions or other substance use disorders, you may have inherited the genes that put you at risk. The more family members related by birth you have with an alcohol problem, the higher your risk. Just because someone may have a strong susceptibility toward alcoholism does not mean they are resigned to that fate.

No one can control their genetic makeup, but everyone can take measures to prevent an addiction. According to research, some of the best ways to stop a genetic predisposition from becoming a full-on alcohol addiction include:.

Counseling and support can help tackle social and environmental factors that could contribute to an alcohol problem in the future. If you or a loved one has already developed a problem, there are outpatient and inpatient programs that can help. Contact a treatment provider to discuss your options.

Devineni AV, Heberlein U. Preferential ethanol consumption in Drosophila models features of addiction. Curr Biol. Comparison of global brain gene expression profiles between inbred long-sleep and inbred short-sleep mice by high-density gene array hybridization. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. Genetic factors influencing alcohol dependence. Br J Pharmacol.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Genetics of alcohol use disorder. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellMind. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.

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What Causes Autism? The Warning Signs of Schizophrenia in Children. Or they want to protect children to help them grow into healthy adults without bearing the vulnerability of a legacy of alcoholism.

Is alcoholism going to affect your future? That can also be a scary question, if you have alcoholism in the family. If alcoholism will follow you in some way, how can you minimize your risk? Most people have a family history of some alcohol abuse, if not full-fledged addiction. While research shows that there is a family connection to alcoholism, there are certain factors that lead to greater risk. These are also the factors to which you should pay more attention. A major risk factor for alcoholism is children drinking before the age of When children have grown up in a household with alcoholism, they may start drinking at an earlier age than their peers.

They have seen behaviors of adults who have had alcohol and may be desensitized to drinking because of their environment. Recent studies report that drinking before the age of 15 makes young people six times more likely to become an alcoholic or abuse alcohol during their lifetime.

Children whose parents have had alcoholism are up to four times more likely to become addicted to drinking, than their peers. When children like these are at greater risk, others around them can help them grow up without abusing alcohol. There is no certainty in alcoholism, so children can be guided down the right path, regardless of family history.

Alcoholism is defined different ways by different people. It usually means someone who is addicted to alcohol, or must consume it to get through each day. Alcoholism is a physical dependence on drinking. Someone suffering from alcoholism is unable to stop drinking without going through withdrawal. They may want to control their use of alcohol. But withdrawal symptoms usually thwart any chances of becoming sober.

The University of California in San Diego conducted a study about hereditary alcoholism. The final report from that study showed that people with family history of alcoholism also have low sensitivity or inherited tolerance to alcohol.

Even though they can drink more without feeling effects others feel, these people are more vulnerable to developing alcoholism.