Alcoholism Genetic

A lot of studies have been done by researchers in an attempt to answer the question as to whether or not Alcoholism could be inherited which would greatly increase the chances for early prevention of alcoholism in many individuals. As of today, a specific gene which causes alcoholism has yet to be definitively determined however, there is some evidence which suggests that in some cases of alcoholism genetics may play an important roll.

Studies also suggest that a combination of environment and genes may play a significant role in this disease which would increase the chances of someone developing the disease of alcoholism when they have been influenced by alcohol in their environment in addition to having the inherited gene.

Studies have been done on laboratory animals as well as human subjects which have both shown that the potential for alcoholism to be genetically linked is quite possible. Research which has been done on twins who's biological father was an alcoholic have shown that even with twins who were separated through adoption and lived with other families where alcohol was not prevalent, they still developed an addiction to alcohol with a much higher percentage rate than other twins who were reared apart without having a history of addiction in their biological family even in cases where alcohol was prevalent within their adoptive families.

Of the millions of people who have the progressive disease of alcoholism, over forty percent are teenagers and young adults who began abusing alcohol as early as age fifteen.

These numbers have lead many people to believe that consuming alcohol and developing an alcohol dependency is more than just a choice which is made, and that there may be a definitive link between genes which are inherited and those who develop the disease of alcoholism.