Is There an Inherited Family Alcohol Gene?

But as we have discussed in this section, that doesn’t mean that addiction to alcohol is solely a genetic concern. Even if you have all of them, you may never develop alcoholism. DNA influences every square inch of your body, right down to the last particle. Your parent’s genetics came together to create you in the womb. Those same genes influence your existence every day that you’re alive.

As it relates to alcoholism, genes, environment and social interaction can all affect a person’s risk level for alcohol addiction. The gene is the main physical unit that passes inheritance from a parent to their child. “Heredity” refers to a mutation in a person’s genes that is passed from generation to generation. Common hereditary mental illnesses include autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and depression. While heredity and genetics are closely linked words, they can mean different things from a medical perspective.

What Causes Alcoholism?

However, environmental and social factors can increase or reduce this genetic risk. 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. Alcoholism is a serious problem and one estimate suggests that as many as 18 million adults in the country struggle with alcohol use disorder; that is one in 12 individuals. Around 100,000 people die every year because of alcoholism, including deaths due to cirrhosis and other organ damage.

• 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.
• Still, there isn’t one specific alcoholic gene that makes a person addicted to alcohol.
• The sensitive mice tend to lose their inhibitions and pass out rather quickly, earning them the nickname “long sleepers.” “Short sleepers” are mice that are genetically less sensitive to alcohol.
• Talking to a counselor is one method that has been proven to be effective.
• Other genes, including GABRA2, CHRM2, KCNJ6, and AUTS2, may also significantly affect risks.

Conversely, growing up in a healthy, supportive environment correlates to lower rates of alcoholism. Although alcohol is widely consumed, excessive consumption leads to major social, psychological, and physical issues as well as many diseases. Alcoholism is a maladaptive habit of excessive drinking that causes major issues (also known as alcohol dependence or alcohol use disorders). Tolerance can be influenced by how a person’s body metabolizes and eliminates alcohol. Tolerance is also affected by how much and how often a person drinks.

My Boyfriend Has a Drug Addiction

Boca Recovery Center is here to provide the best quality care in the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction. If you have a long history of drinking heavily, ask for help before you stop drinking. You may need a medical detoxification program to get sober safely. If you don’t get help, you could experience life-threatening withdrawal symptoms if you stop drinking suddenly. Some people carry a gene that makes them feel queasy and flushed when they drink. That gene makes alcohol unpleasant, making them less likely to drink too much.

Many of them have open meetings for family members of people with substance use disorders. Sharing your experiences and listening to theirs could help you avoid alcohol abuse. Environmental factors such as relationships, stress, and work can drive you to abuse alcohol. https://www.healthworkscollective.com/how-choose-sober-house-tips-to-focus-on/ Your behavioral genes interact with your environment to form how you make decisions. You might be sensitive to stress, which makes it difficult for you to cope with a fast-paced job. You could experience a traumatic event and use alcohol to cover up painful feelings.

Genetics and Addiction: Is Alcoholism Hereditary or Genetic?

If you grew up in a home with an alcoholic parent, you’ve likely faced some form of neglect or abuse. That trauma can reverberate throughout the rest of your life and raise your risk of mental health problems such as alcoholism. In studies of babies separated at birth by adoption, children tended to drink in patterns that closely mimicked their biological parents (not their adoptive ones). Given studies like this, most researchers say that alcoholism risk is about half determined by your genes. Genetic material passes from parents to children at fertilization. And some of those genes could enhance your risk for alcoholism.

” you may feel a bit lost, but statistically, a family with a history of alcoholism is more likely to pass on an increased risk of an alcohol use disorder, depending on how close the relatives are to each other. Alcohol use disorder, the medical term for alcoholism and alcohol abuse, has been linked to some specific genes. Having a close relative, such as a parent or sibling, who struggles with alcohol use disorder increases the chances that a person will also struggle with the same addiction. This makes a strong argument for the learned behavior theory but in reality, there may be other influences that might predispose a person to alcohol addiction. Among those abusing alcohol, people who are genetically predisposed to alcoholism have a higher risk of developing an alcohol use disorder. Although people can inherit alcoholic tendencies, the development of an alcohol use disorder is also dependent on social and environmental factors.

Is Alcoholism Hereditary?A Review and Critique

Self-medication for mental health problems is common and can lead to addiction. As we have learned more about the role genes play in our health, researchers have discovered that different factors can alter the expression of our genes. Scientists are learning more and more about how epigenetics can affect our Top 5 Tips to Consider When Choosing a Sober House for Living risk for developing AUD. But what if you don’t know your family medical history very well? Because of the strong negative stigma of addiction, families sometimes hide addictions or brush them off. While it may be difficult for your family members to discuss this sensitive topic with you, don’t give up.

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. Partly — heredity is only responsible for about half of one’s risk of alcoholism. Genes alone don’t determine if you will develop an alcohol use disorder. Environmental factors and your ability to handle situations that could cause alcohol dependency are just as important.