Alcoholism runs in families. It was implied in the Bible. Plutarch and Aristotle discussed it, and the clergy and doctors alike in the nineteenth century said that yes, indeed, drunken fathers produced drunken sons. But is this true? Wouldn’t it be a sorry state of affairs for a son to see his alcoholic father ruin his life and know that absolutely, he too will end up with the same demise: If that were the case, people wouldn’t have any options when it came to alcoholism whatsoever: Their fate would be sealed.
It is true that alcoholism is a family disease, but is it genetically created or environmentally induced and influenced? For most psychologists and sociologists, “running in the family” no longer implies inheritance.
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It does imply many other factors, such as one’s environment. If a son sees his father drinking on a daily basis at the dinner table, he considers this “normal” behavior. When he does the same as an adult, he doesn’t consider that to be alcoholic, yet it may be for both his father and himself. Is that genetic or environmental? “Familial” (family) is not the same as genetic. My father spoke English and so do I. It is “familial”. I learned it because of my environment. Many children learn about drinking from parents. Non-genetic factors play a major role in the study of alcoholism. Cultural differences, attitudes toward drinking, finances, life’s events, one’s vocation, and peer group, all influence how we feel about alcohol consumption.
Someone may be born a certain way but that may not be genetic either. Remember that genes are present when life starts (conception) and that 23 chromosomes are from the mother’s egg and 23 are from the father’s sperm to create 46 chromosomes. Those chromosomes are made up of thousands of genes. Everyone has a unique composition and no two people are exactly alike. (Even identical twins may have differences due to the environment.)
How can someone be born a particular way but it’s not caused by genes? It means that there were other influences. For example, an FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) baby isn’t genetically malformed—it can’t be passed on to the next generation. But an FAS baby is physically impaired due to the mom’s drinking while she was pregnant. The “other” influence was alcohol.
Scientific research has come to a number of different conclusions. There does seem to be a tendency for alcoholism to run in families and some people are more susceptible toward the disease than others. As far as pinpointing a specific gene that causes alcoholism, it has yet to be proven absolutely even though one has been possibly suggested.*
There have been hundreds of studies trying to prove the genetic factors behind alcoholism but many have been non-conclusive due to uncontrollable variables. The most accurate findings to date are three groups of studies: Twin studies; family studies; adoption studies.
Family studies have revealed that there is a three to four times greater risk to sons and daughters of alcoholics to become alcoholic than to other primary psychiatric diseases.
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However, since many children are raised by their biological parents, it was important to study children adopted out to non-biological parents, so the findings wouldn’t be influenced by the environmental factors.
Dr. Goodwin, one of the foremost researchers in the area of alcoholism and genetics, has done numerous studies of Dutch adoptees. The reason he chose the Dutch is that they have very accurate records about children and their biological parents. His finding revealed a threefold to fourfold higher risk for alcoholism in adolted out sons even though they were raised by non-alcoholic adoptive parents.
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It was no different than their brothers who were raised by alcoholic biological parents. This type of evidence shows there is a strong implication that heredity plays a major role in the disease. In contrast, Dr. Roe found good foster placement was associated with non alcohol abuse in all but one of 27 children of alcoholic parentage and in all but two of 22 children of normal parentage.
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The inheritance or alcohol abuse was studied in 913 Swedish women adopted by nonrelatives at an early age. There was three times the alcohol abuse among the adopted daughters of alcoholic biological mothers compared with other daughters from non-alcoholic biological mothers.
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In addition to studying adoptees, another method for evaluating whether genetic factors predispose people to alcoholism is to compare identical twins with fraternal twins when at least one of the twins is alcoholic.
* See review of N.Y. Times Article, April 18, 1990 and JAMA, April, 1990, Noble & Blum
A Swedish study was conducted by Lennart Kaij, involving 174 male twins. With identical twins, 54 percent were concordant for alcoholism whereas it was greatly reduced for fraternal twins (28 percent).
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There have been many other studies in the area of twin research. In Finland, Dr. Partanen studied 902 male twins and found the amount of drinking and frequency of drinking of the identical twins was much greater than the fraternal twins (suggesting genetic influence). (Note: Identical twins have the same genes; fraternal twins don’t.)
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The third type of study used to look at the correlation of genetic findings and alcoholism are studies about “genetic markers”. Marker studies are of two type: pedigree studies in which single families are studied, and population studies. Population studies are still in the grass roots stage of development and the findings aren’t conclusive.
Markers are predictors and not all predictors are genetic. It is very important to study children before they start drinking in order to make an accurate observation about a group of people. At this stage of research, most of the studies are still in the initial predrinking stage but some of the findings thus far are:
1. Sons of alcoholics do less well on tests for abstract thinking and categories.
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2. Sons of alcoholics (most studies use men as opposed to women which is why some of the information may not be as accurate) feel less intoxicated after drinking the same amount of alcohol as sons of nonalcoholics.
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It was found that cells taken from alcoholics appear to be biochemically different from cells of nonalcoholics. The findings fit in with a growing body of data indicating that some people inherit an inclination toward alcohol abuse.
Researchers Laura Nagy, Dr. Ivan Diamond, and Adrienne Gordon, from the University of California, found that white blood cells of alcoholics metabolize alcohol more easily than cells from nonalcoholics and have lower levels of a fundamental chemical enzyme that exists inside cells. This chemical messenger is necessary for many fundamental cellular activities, including growth and metabolism.
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At the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, Doctor Henri Begleiter found differences in electrical brain responses to alcohol. He and his colleagues showed that the brain waves that follow a characteristic pattern when people have to make a decision, called P3 waves, differ markedly in the sons of alcoholics from the P3 waves in people who drink only socially—after just one drink.
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Most recently, The New York Times ran an article (April 18, 1990) about Doctors Noble and Blum from the University of California and the University of Texas respectively, and recent findings of a specific gene that put people at risk of becoming alcoholics. The discovery should open new avenues of research for preventions and treatment of alcoholism. (Original article
JAMA
, April, 1990, Noble & Blum)
The researchers said the gene linked to alcoholism was the receptor gene for dopamine, a chemical that plays an essential part in helping brain cells communicate with each other. They studied brains of 35 people dying from alcoholism and 35 others who were not alcoholics. The gene was present in 77 percent of the alcoholics and in 28 percent of the non-alcoholics.
Drs. Blum and Noble did indicate that no single gene caused all forms of alcoholism. Some with the gene did not become alcoholic and others who did not have the gene were alcoholic. Social and cultural factors are major contributors to the disease.
It is felt that this gene influences appetite, personality, and behavior. It is located on Chromosome 11 and is called dopamine D2 receptor gene. That gene has two parts, A1 and A2 (alleles). The Al allele was associated with alcoholism.
By pinpointing the specific gene to the receptor site, scientists could use drugs to block the gene’s action or stimulate the receptors which would prevent addition. A goal is to develop genetic engineering techniques to eliminate the gene from affecting people.
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To summarize, the genetic findings using twin studies, adoption studies, and genetic markers, represent three approaches in the research about the predisposition of alcoholism (is it inherited?). From all indications, the tendency toward genetic alcoholism is present. If alcoholism seems to run in a family, it is wise never to start drinking. Many people attend regular COA meetings (Children of Alcoholics) and have wisely chosen to abstain from alcohol. COA meetings are anonymous and throughout Connecticut.
If your mother, father, or grandparent was an alcoholic, consider yourself at risk of alcohol abuse. If you choose to drink, limit your intake.