Women are at risk of developing AUD faster than men due to differences in body mass, hormones, and metabolism. Those with a history of alcoholism in their family have the highest risk of becoming alcoholics. If you have multiple relatives with alcohol addictions or other substance use disorders, you may have inherited the genes that put you at risk. The more family members (related by birth) you have with an alcohol problem, the higher your 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.

• According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, children of alcoholics are four times more likely than other children to become alcoholics.
• Your level of care options may include alcohol detox, residential treatment, and outpatient programming.
• If you or a loved one has already developed a problem, there are outpatient and inpatient programs that can help.
• In addition, NIAAA funds investigators’ research in this important field, and also has an in-house research emphasis on the interaction of genes and the environment.

Environmental factors, as well as gene and environment interactions account for the remainder of the risk. If you think you have become addicted to alcohol, you may want to make an appointment for an assessment with a reputable addiction treatment provider. Completing an evaluation and receiving an accurate diagnosis are two vital steps on the path toward treatment and recovery. But as we have discussed in this section, that doesn’t mean that addiction to alcohol is solely a genetic concern.

Social Factors

Can children inherit genetic materials from their parents that increase their vulnerability to alcohol? Several notable studies have been conducted to answer this question. There are gene variations that could predispose a person to mental illnesses like depression and schizophrenia. People with mental illness are more prone to turn to alcohol as a coping mechanism. Alcohol use disorder has become a prevalent problem that affects even the youth.

One reason people don’t seek treatment earlier on is that both alcohol problems and treatment remain stigmatized in our society. Other barriers are that the person doesn’t believe that https://www.excel-medical.com/5-tips-to-consider-when-choosing-a-sober-living-house/ their problem is serious enough to need treatment. If you are concerned enough to be reading this, or if you have a family member that’s an alcoholic, the problem is serious enough.

Heredity and Genetics From a Medical Perspective

In many cases, the initial linkage studies were followed by more
detailed genetic analyses employing single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were
genotyped at high density across the linked regions. Some of the genes identified
through this approach have been replicated across a number of studies and appear to
be robust genetic findings. Similar to environmental factors, your genetic disposition is considered to be another contributing factor that makes you more or less prone to addiction than other people. In fact, experts believe that many mental illnesses, such as addiction, are linked to abnormalities in your genetic code. Exposing these genes to environmental factors such as stress, trauma, abuse, or chemical substances sometimes triggers a mental illness in those with inherited genetic susceptibility. It is actually a component or a factor that can increase your chances of developing an addiction to alcohol.

A study was done in which scientists selectively bred two strains of mice. The study included mice that were not genetically sensitive to alcohol and those that were acutely sensitive to it. The two strains showed dramatically different behavior when exposed to identical amounts of alcohol. The ability to genetically select for these traits shows that there are genetic bases for them.

Alcohol dependence, psychiatric disorders share genetic links

It’s been discovered that there is a 50% chance of a person having the predisposition to develop an addiction to alcohol if they have someone in their family suffering from alcoholism. If you have someone in your family who is struggling, you may wonder if you’ll develop alcoholism as well. Factors like your environment and your ability to handle situations that may trigger dependency are just as important.

Washington University School of Medicine’s 1,500 faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals. The School of Medicine is a leader in medical research, teaching and patient care, ranking among the top 10 medical schools in the nation by U.S. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.