Is There a Genetic Component to Alcohol Addiction?
People might wonder if there is a genetic component which makes one experience an increased risk of alcoholism. This is a typical question which requires much pondering and studying to completely understand. However, statistics point to the fact that children of alcoholic parents do run a much higher risk of developing alcoholism than children of parents who do not drink alcohol. It can have something to do with many different factors such as heredity, environmental influences and habits.
Certain hereditary factors have been proven to influence whether or not the children of an alcoholic will turn to alcohol use in response to tension, pain, stress or trauma. Sons and daughters of an alcoholic face an increased risk of developing an alcohol addiction than children of parents who were non-drinkers. There have been some studies which highlight as much as a 50% increased risk of alcoholism running in families. It is also noted that certain personality traits part of which are inherited, influence whether or not a person will become addicted to alcohol. People who have a hypersensitivity to stimulants in the environment and who are thrill seekers are more often liable to become alcoholics at some point in life.
Influences in the home life and environment of a family home can also directly increase a person’s chances of becoming an alcoholic. When a person grows up in an alcoholic home and sees on a daily basis the turmoil and problems involving alcoholism, it can make them feel unsure and insecure about life in general. A person who is raised with a strong sense of self and feels self-worth is less likely to engage in alcohol as a coping mechanism in response to problems. With an unpredictable and unhappy childhood, a person is more likely to suffer to an addiction to alcohol and be unable to resist the urges to drink to excess.
Other things can also predispose a person to the perils of an addiction to alcohol, such as lifestyle habits. If a child sees parents who regularly consume too much alcohol and develop full-blown alcohol addiction, it becomes habitual behavior and what is perceived as normal behavior is twisted. A person can drink alcohol and through learned lifestyle habits; they do not even realize the seriousness of the situation. These facts directly increases the chances that children of an alcoholic parent will have an inconsistent view of alcoholism and are more likely to be able to resist the compulsion to drink because of thinking it is normal to drink to the point of being heavily intoxicated and passing out.
With all the research and statistical information available, the likelihood of someone becoming an alcoholic through genetics has serious merit. It is possible for children of alcoholics to be more likely to pick up a drink in response to stress because they have watched others do it for so long it seems like the normal thing to do. However, it is also possible that from witnessing certain life events that a person may be more able to resist the urge to drink because of having personal experience and tragedy as a motivator to live a better, sober life.
Christian Alcohol Treatment | | 
September 23, 2009 5:40 pm
