Is Alcoholism Hereditary or Genetic?

In fact, one half of all children with alcoholic parents do not become alcoholics. Children whose parents have had alcoholism are up to four times more likely to become addicted to drinking, than their peers. When children like these are at greater risk, others around them can help them grow up without abusing alcohol.

The drawback to this approach is
that linkage studies find broad regions of the genome, often containing many
hundreds of genes. 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. The rate at which alcohol is metabolized and the nature and fate of its degradation products are important factors that determine its physiological effects.

Alcoholism Statistics in the United States

We published a comprehensive review of the genetics of alcoholism over a decade ago [1]. Since then, there have been significant advances in techniques available for mapping genes and as a result considerable changes in outlook have occurred. It is now generally accepted that genetic risk for alcoholism is likely to be due to common variants in numerous genes, each of small effect, however rare variants with large effects might also play a role. After years of family-based linkage studies and case-control candidate gene studies, attention has shifted to large scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for the detection of novel common variants (≥ 1%). Exome and whole genome sequencing studies for the detection of rare variants are beginning to emerge.

Combining and integrating information from experimentally tractable model systems with human genetic studies provides a powerful strategy to disentangle the genomic elements that contribute to alcohol-related phenotypes. Having both parents with a history of alcoholism can contribute to a higher genetic vulnerability due to the combined influence of genetic factors from both sides of your family. However, it’s important to note that genetics is just one aspect of the risk equation, and environmental factors also play a significant role. Vrieze et al. (2013) found that, in biometric twin models, behavioral inhibition was highly genetically correlated with all substance use traits (nicotine use/dependence, alcohol consumption, alcohol dependence, and drug use).

CURRENT STATE OF THE AUD GWAS LITERATURE

MAOA and DSCAML1 orthologs were also differentially expressed in alcohol preferring rats (Rimondini et al. 2002; Rodd et al. 2008) and a DSCAML1 ortholog was also found in flies selected for alcohol sensitivity (Morozova et al. 2007). While you cannot inherit alcoholism in the same way you inherit physical traits like eye color, there is a genetic component that can influence your susceptibility to developing alcohol use disorder. If your parents or close family members have a history of alcoholism, you might have a higher risk due to shared genetic vulnerabilities. However, inheriting alcoholism is not as straightforward as inheriting a specific trait. There’s scientific research has unveiled that genetics do play a significant role in the predisposition to alcoholism.

• There are many cases of AUDs running in families from one generation to the next, or ones that are potentially genetic but not hereditary.
• This review integrates insights obtained from different model systems as well as human population studies to provide a comprehensive overview of the genetic factors that mediate sensitivity to alcohol.
• ADH1B and ALDH2 may also protect against both alcohol consumption and alcohol use disorder.
• Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a chronic psychiatric illness characterized by harmful drinking patterns leading to negative emotional, physical, and social ramifications.
• Linkage studies are relatively robust to population
  differences in allele frequencies (because they test within-family inheritance), and
  can find a signal even if different variants in the same gene or region are
  responsible for the risk in different families.
• The clinical
  heterogeneity likely reflects the genetic heterogeneity of the disease.

Like alcoholism, diabetes can “run in families.” Also like alcoholism, the trend of diabetes in a family can end if one person in the lineage decides to keep himself or herself out of harm’s way. These findings suggest that it’s not just a single gene defect but a combination of genes that predispose individuals to alcoholism. The University of Cambridge Genetics of Alcoholism published a review of 12 studies involving twins and adopted children. This review supports what most people knew all along—alcoholism, to some extent, runs in the family. In the context of AUD, GCTA could be applied to the subsets of previously discussed SNPs that reached genome-wide significance and were correlated with alcohol-dependent phenotypes.

Signs of Alcohol Use Disorder

Subsequent analysis showed that AUTS2 was implicated in alcohol consumption in mice and alcohol sensitivity in drosophila [69]. This gene plays a role in neurodevelopment, at least in zebrafish and mice [70]. It is likely that, as for most complex diseases, alcohol dependence and AUDs
are due to variations in hundreds of genes, interacting with different social
environments. An additional challenge in the search for genetic variants that affect
the risk for AUDs is that there is extensive clinical heterogeneity among those
meeting criteria.

Trauma, dual diagnosis, and underlying conditions feed alcoholism and the alcoholism feeds those problems, in return. This underscores the importance of early intervention and awareness, especially in homes where family members have a history of alcohol-related issues. Data suggests that individuals hailing from families with an annual household income surpassing $75,000 face a higher susceptibility to becoming an alcoholic in comparison to their counterparts from economically modest backgrounds.

Genetics and Alcoholism Risk: What Does Research Say?

Repeated exposure to ethanol induces tolerance in flies, similar to humans (Scholz et al. 2000). Today, studies have demonstrated that genes could predispose a person https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/genetics-of-alcoholism-is-alcohol-abuse-hereditary/ to alcohol dependence. Research like this could help identify people who have a higher risk of misusing alcohol so it can be mitigated and treated appropriately.