Alcoholism: Genetic or Learned?

By

Raiven Hajek

Bio-Med 7th

02/14/17
 Alcoholism is the number one addiction in the United States today. It affects more than

half of the population and most of the people suffering have no idea that they are addicts. The 18

million Americans with a drinking disorder or alcohol dependency suffer from cravings, loss of

control, physical dependency, and tolerance all of which play a huge role in the functionality of

the person in their day to day living. This disease or disorder can cause social issues as well at

home, work, or school and can even place the person in a dangerous situation or lead to legal and

or social problems. One other type of alcoholism is binge drinking when four or more drinks are

consumed in a two hour period. Whatever type of drinker you are, binge drinker or daily drinker,

alcoholism is a very serious disease/disorder in society today. (1)

Alcoholism seems to be genetic, or at least if you asked the average American they would

tell you that if they have a drinking problem it is because they are genetically predisposed. There

is evidence from animal studies according to the Patterns of alcoholism inheritance abstract

that states, biochemical, electrophysiologic, and personality studies of alcoholics and their

offspring indicate the existence of heritable factors preceding to the development of alcoholism.

But this does not mean that if your parents are alcoholics that you too will inherit the trait or

even determine your tolerance to alcohol? All literature points to the evidence of genetic

inheritance being very minor. Alcoholism however is an addiction and addictions are genetically

inherited. Instead alcohol triggers the neurochemical production of dopamine which causes the

pleasure centers of the brain to stimulate causing to addiction to wanting more.

There are no chromosomal facts that indicate alcoholism to be genetic. However, there

are indications that heterogeneity was considered a possible result for alcoholism according to

the locus experiment in the article Analysis of genes for alcoholism using two-disease-locus

models, written by Chih-Chieh Wu and Danjay Shete. In the family data of COGA included
1,614 individuals of 143 pedigrees ascertained for having three or more family members affected

with alcohol dependence. There were four markers showing evidence to linkage and included:

D1S1595, D6S1006, D7S28+8 and D15S642 on chromosomes 1, 6, 7, and 15 respectively.

Results showed that markers were close to 0 for the recessive/recessive models and D15S642

was the dominant/dominant models showing the strongest evidence of linkage among the four

markers with scores of 2.0 or greater which gives this phenomena suggestions of genetic

heterogeneity. And in conclusion, the results suggested that that alcoholism is much more

complicated to explain considering the etiology and therefore cannot be concluded as being

genetic.

Alcoholism is unique in its disorder as it affects people differently. Yes it is a depressant

and it is determined by a pattern of alcohol use that is indicated by control problems, being

preoccupied with alcohol, continuing to consume even when you are impaired, having to drink

quantities to get the same effect as before, or even to the point of having withdrawal symptoms if

you stop drinking or rapidly decrease consumption. This is why there are those that suffer from

binge drinking to satisfy the bodys need to get the good feeling. Binge drinking is most

commonly seen in teenagers or college students that are trying to fit in with crowds or new social

groups.

Suffering from alcoholism can to the abuser feel like they are never in control unless they

have a drink. It is emotionally and physically straining on the mind and body to deal with the

effects caused by detoxing from the levels of alcohol consumed and is the main reason that most

alcoholics continue to drink in order to not suffer from the withdrawals. Alcohol use can be

described as mild, moderate, or severe and is basically described by the symptoms you

experience with usage. Can you limit the amount you drink? Are you successful or do you
continue to fail at attempts? Alcoholics spend a lot of time drinking, getting alcohol or

recovering from their alcohol use causing many social issues and can even cause the affected one

to quit activities or hobbies because they cannot successfully complete the task at hand. An

alcoholic has a strong craving or urge to drink and typically finds they build a tolerance and

always needing more to get the same effect.

Alcohol abuse is life threatening. It causes impairment in judgment to those who abuse it

and can even cause affixation or blood poisoning if too much is consumed. The body was not

made to consume high levels of toxins found in alcohol and therefore can cause damage to the

body including the liver causing or leading to cirrhosis and/or the brain with memory loss and

permanent damage to the functionality of the brain and/or death caused by lethal amounts of

alcohol ingested by suppressing the respiratory system or causing a coma. Most of the time this

damage is not seen until it has progressed to an irreversible stage.

Alcohol intoxication comes with the blood alcohol level exceeds what your body can

perform normal activity with, the more you drink, the more impaired you become. The legal

limit in Texas is 0.08. Alcohol intoxication usually accompanies inappropriate behavior, unstable

moods, impaired judgment, slurred speech, impaired attention or memory, and poor coordination,

according to the Mayo Clinic. There can commonly be periods called blackouts where

memory loss occurs. And as mentioned above, high levels of ethanol in the blood can lead to

come or death.

The most important thing to remember about alcoholism is that it can be treated with a

good support system and abstinence from alcohol. Sometimes medical treatment is needed to

avoid withdrawal symptoms that can start as soon as several hours to four to five days later after
ceasing alcohol consumption. The most common symptoms of withdrawal are sweating, rapid

heart rate, hand tremors, problems sleeping, nausea and vomiting, hallucinations, restlessness

and agitation, anxiety, and occasionally seizures (4). However, avoiding alcohol is the only way

to cure the disease. And sometimes that means changing your lifestyle or even your habitat.

Since alcoholism is not considered genetic, there are no gene therapies approved for this

disorder.

Alcoholism is inherited by a learned trait, it is not thought to be genetic, and therefore we

all have the ability to avoid this disorder. Detection is found when the person that is consuming

the alcohol shows the symptoms mentioned above. Yet, sometimes a person will not show

symptoms if their tolerance is high until the blood alcohol levels are at a dangerous level. Even

though alcohol is legal and can be bought by an adult over the age of 21 in the state of Texas and

most of the United States, does not mean that it should be the drug of choice. Avoidance or

abstinence from alcohol is the only way to completely assure that someone is not building a

tolerance, or causing bodily harm due to the effects of the drug. Therefore, if you grow up in a

home where one or more of your parents suffer from alcoholism of some type, this does not

mean that you do not have the choice to avoid this disorder; it is ultimately your choice.
References:

1. Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2017, from

https://medlineplus.gov/alcoholismandalcoholabuse.html

2. Genetic differences in alcohol sensitivity and the ... (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2017,

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3. Peele, S., Ph.D. (n.d.). No biological or genetic mechanisms have been identified that

account for addictive behavior. Retrieved February 16, 2017, from

http://www.soberforever.net/addiction-genetics.cfm

4. Alcohol use disorder. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2017, from

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alcohol-use-disorder/basics/definition/con-

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