Alcoholism Facts

Drinking Problems Seem To Run In My Family. Can Alcoholism Be Inherited?

There's strong evidence that a tendency can be inherited. Studies of twins and adopted children have shown that heredity can play a more critical role than environment in the development of alcoholism. Children of

Much scientific research is being devoted to identifying a genetic basis for alcoholism. In one study, a receptor gene for dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a part in pleasure-seeking behavior, was located in the brains of 77 percent of alcoholics, compared with only 28 percent of nonalcoholics, during autopsies. Exactly what role the gene may play in the development of alcoholism is unclear. By activating the release of dopamine, it could affect the degree of pleasure felt when an individual drinks alcohol, and may lead to a craving for more alcohol to release more dopamine.

However, no single biological explanation for the development of alcoholism is entirely satisfactory. Social and cultural factors can lead people to abuse alcohol whether or not they are genetically predisposed to the disease. And the way families pass on a tendency toward alcoholism may not be entirely biological but may also stem from familial relationships, as well as from the way alcohol is used and drunkenness is regarded in the home.

My close friends are telling me that I am becoming codependent. What does that mean?

The term codependency is widely used these days to describe the unhealthy dynamics and mutual dependence between an addict and those closest to him or her. Anyone whose life is deeply affected by involvement with an addict is said to be at risk. According to some interpretations, it's possible to be codependent not only with an alcoholic or a drug abuser, but also with a compulsive gambler, an overeater, or anyone with a problem that's viewed as an addiction.

In such relationships it's the codependent who throws away the addict's pills, pretends not to notice the slurred speech, and hides their mutual nightmare from friends and family. Collusion

Many people have found the concept of codependency useful as a way to think about their responses to a loved one with an addiction problem and to cope with what is often an impossible situation. But blaming the family or intimates of an addict for "enabling" the addiction can have detrimental consequences and is not supported by scientific research. For more information on dealing with an addiction problem in your family, contact your local chapter of Al-Anon, the family group associated with Alcoholics Anonymous.

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