Researches have shown that there can be a definite genetic inclination for getting alcohol problems. This goes even more for sons of dependent fathers than for daughters. It is unknown how big the extra risk is, but offspring of alcohol addicts must keep in mind that they have a larger chance to develop alcohol problems. Some reports talk about a higher risk of about 50%.
It is also known that certain personality traits, which are partly inherited, effect the risk of getting addicted. People who are often anxious, and who seek excitement in life, and who are more antisocial, will more eventually become alcoholics later in life
Influence of the environment: when you grow up in surroundings in which individuals drink a lot, you can suffer from this as a child.
You can feel less happy because you get less attention, or because you get worried about the sometimes unpredictable or maybe threatening behavior of your father or mother. An unhappy childhood can then play a role in the development of alcohol problems at a later age.
However, this does not necessarily mean it is an unavoidable situation. There are many other contributing factors that can compound the issue, so just because you have an alcoholic parent, or parents, does not automatically mean you will develop the disorder yourself.
Alcohol addiction does tend to run in families, and it’s felt that genetics is partly accountable for this. A lot of investigation is and has been undertaken to discover and understand those genes that make a person prone to developing alcoholism. In clinical research.
It has been found that twins born to alcoholic parents, given up for adoption and living separately, have both gone on to develop alcoholism, and research like this lend weight to the heredity reasoning.
Alcoholism is also considered to be a inherited disease. And it is certainly true to say that this is the case. Whether it is just a case of learnt behaviour, or if the alcoholic is already at a drawback because of disturbance during his or her formative years, or even whether it’s due to a genetic susceptibility,
The facts are clear and investigations have shown that children of alcoholics are four times more likely to develop the dependency themselves. It’s also been reported that twins, separated at birth from each other, and their natural parents, have both gone on to develop the illness. So there is definitely support for that theory.
There are many reasons why a person might take up hard drinking. Normally to blot out something sad or troublesome, or to deal with upsetting situations. People who have suffered mental or physical abuse as children are high risk.
Anyone with emotional problems is also a prime candidate, and there’s no doubt that sensitive situations can definitely trigger the condition. But it is paramount to understand the difference between someone having a bad patch in their life, and the alcoholic. To be clear, the former is likely to use alcohol to cope in the short term with crises or problems, whereas the true alcoholic will be completely unable to live without the booze. It will consume them, and they will create excuses and reasons to keep drinking.
Alcoholism is an habit, that develops when a person over indulges in the consumption of alcohol. In 1991, the American Medical Association declared alcohol addiction as a disease which can be lethal, if not corrected at the proper time. Drinking alcohol has existed in our society since ages and even today it is considered as a part of the social life.
Although drinking moderately is not harmful, it becomes a problem when a person consumes alcohol excessively, affecting not only his health but also the people around him. When an individual overly indulges in alcohol, it leads to alcohol abuse, where a person does not stop drinking even though he or she has to face problems in personal, social and professional life.
Alcohol abuse, if not given timely treatment can lead to alcohol reliance, where the individual can’t stay away from alcohol, though the individual knows its significances.
Additionally, researchers have discovered a unique gene expression that is more prevalent in alcoholics and amongst alcoholic families than in the general population, and this gene expression also seems to make us more vulnerable to depression and anxiety, which themselves increase the risk of problem drinking.
Scientists and clinical researchers continue to look at the puzzle, and are gaining a better understanding of the bio chemical factors that increase our tendency to alcoholism; and hopefully, when enough knowledge on the biological basis of alcoholism emerges, accompanying treatment options will also reveal themselves.
But since the human brain is so complex, there is no way to say when if ever scientists will gain a complete understanding of what the real overall causes are.
