The Role Genetics Play in Alcoholism

Finally, unique environmental influences are nonshared experiences that contribute to differences within MZ and DZ twin pairs. Unique environmental influences are uncorrelated between twin pairs and include measurement error. The greater similarity for a phenotype among MZ twins compared with DZ twins, as shown by a higher correlation coefficient, suggests genetic influences, as found in our analysis.

• It can be difficult, or even impossible, to determine what effect is the result of which cause.
• Understanding the complex interplay between genetics and environmental factors can help inform prevention and treatment strategies for nicotine addiction.

Evidence shows that environmental factors have a much more important role than genetic factors for risk of alcohol abuse patterns and alcoholism during adolescence. Among those who met criteria for nicotine and alcohol dependence, the mean ages of onset for regular smoking and alcohol dependence were 17.1 years (SD, ±3.1 years) and 20.4 years (SD, ±4.7 years), respectively. The lifetime prevalence of nicotine and alcohol dependence was 47.8% and 35.2%, respectively. Lifetime prevalence of nicotine dependence for MZ twins was 46.2%; for DZ twins, 49.7%.

Are Addictions Genetic/Hereditary? What The Research Says

One common approach is behavioral therapy, which can help individuals cultivate the skills needed to cope with the challenges of recovery and avoid relapse. 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 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.

• In other words, if others in your family have struggled with drinking, you aren’t doomed.
• Those who have mental illnesses, especially anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia are very likely to struggle with co-occurring alcohol use disorder.
• Having a close relative with an AUD, such as a parent or sibling, can increase a person’s risk of developing it.
• Environmental factors can also play a role in determining whether someone develops this condition.
• These factors may just make some people more likely to develop the condition.

Although people can inherit alcoholic tendencies, the development of an alcohol use disorder is also dependent on social and environmental factors. Some who have inherited genes making them susceptible to alcoholism are responsible drinkers or never take a drink in their life. Genetic influence is believed to be responsible for half of all risk of developing an alcohol abuse problem, while the other half of risk factors are environmental. Environmental factors include the availability of alcohol, influence what percentage of alcoholism is genetic of peer group and/or family, and cultural acceptance of alcohol consumption. Under the full univariate models, genes accounted for 59.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 41.5%-65.4%) and 51.5% (95% CI, 32.1%-60.5%) of the variance in risk for nicotine and alcohol dependence, respectively. Under the full models, shared family environmental influences did not significantly account for variance in risk for nicotine (1.0% [95% CI, 0.0%-16.5%]) or alcohol dependence (3.5% [95% CI, 0.0%-20.0%]).

Factors Beyond Genetics

Research like this could help identify people who have a higher risk of misusing alcohol so it can be mitigated and treated appropriately. It is estimated that while there are over a dozen genes that contribute to a tendency towards alcohol abuse, each on its own shows a limited correlation to alcoholism without environmental stressors. Therefore, the more genes present, the higher the likelihood of developing AUD, and thus we can infer that genetics do play some role. Many of the existing genetic experiments examining substance abuse and addiction involve mice, which are bred to be good analogues of human genetics. However, there are few long-term studies that have conclusively linked specific genetic traits to humans who struggle with AUD. It is pretty well understood that high-stress environments and trauma are linked to alcohol use disorder, so appropriate therapy to manage these mental and behavioral conditions is extremely important.

Cross addictions can entail the use of several substances at the same time, but can also include process addiction disorders, such as gambling addiction or sex addiction. Sometimes, in cross addictions, the afflicted individual may substitute one addiction for another, and an example of this would be a person who stops drinking but utilizes marijuana as a substitution. Our data were derived from a structured interview, and diagnoses of nicotine and alcohol dependence were derived according to standardized DSM-III-R criteria.

Genetic predisposition to alcohol use disorder

Genetics and family history are the most correlated with risk of AUD; in fact, genetic risk is about half of the problem, while family history is the other half. Certainly, genetics are passed down through families, but family history also includes the environment in which one was raised. Childhood abuse, parental struggles, and mental illness in close family members all contribute to the risk of developing an addiction to drugs or alcohol. As an article published on Psychology Today discusses, studies of twins have revealed helpful information about the connection between genes and an alcohol use disorder. In specific, studies that compare fraternal twins and identical twins can be particularly insightful. Among identical twins, their 23 chromosome pairs are exactly the same (i.e., identical twin are monozygotic).

The genes that seem to have the clearest contribution to developing alcoholism and desire to drink alcohol are GABRA2 and CHRM2. These two genes play a major role in the metabolism of alcohol and result in an increased risk of developing alcohol dependence. Alcohol use disorder does not have a clear pattern of inheritance, although many affected individuals have a family history of problems with alcohol or other substances. Children of people with alcohol use disorder are two to six times more likely than the general public to develop alcohol problems. This increased risk is likely due in part to shared genetic factors, but it may also be related to environment, lifestyle, and other nongenetic influences that are shared by members of a family.

According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, children of alcoholics are four times more likely than other children to become alcoholics. Yet, environmental factors could be a factor in many of those cases as well. We mentioned that there does seem to be a genetic aspect to higher alcohol tolerance – research shows that genetics are responsible for about half of an individual’s risk for developing alcohol use disorder.

MX software36 was used for the genetic modeling, and the PRELIS 2 program37 was used to compute tetrachoric correlations and asymptotic covariance matrices. Conclusions 
These data suggest a common genetic vulnerability to nicotine and alcohol dependence in men. This common genetic influence may partially explain the clinical and epidemiological observations that alcoholics are often dependent smokers. While a person cannot be born with alcohol use disorder (AUD), genetics may be a contributing factor. Research has shown that genes account for approximately 50% of a person’s risk for developing AUD. Alcohol is highly addictive and often used to self-medicate in the face of environmental and social triggers, mental health concerns and other stressors.

Is It Dangerous to Combine Alcohol and Other Drugs? Deadly Combinations to Avoid

However, scientists also argue that genetics play a significant role in the risk of developing alcoholism and the likelihood of hereditary effects. Variants of this gene have been linked to an increased https://ecosoberhouse.com/ risk of developing alcohol dependence in individuals who have experienced high levels of stress or trauma. There is a growing body of scientific evidence that alcoholism has a genetic component.

• Certain genetic variations may make these treatments more effective for some individuals than others.
• Under the full models, shared family environmental influences did not significantly account for variance in risk for nicotine (1.0% [95% CI, 0.0%-16.5%]) or alcohol dependence (3.5% [95% CI, 0.0%-20.0%]).
• Alcoholism is a progressive disease that worsens with the continued use of alcohol but is not present at all if an individual abstains completely from alcohol.
• It is impossible to say that there is a direct cause that is responsible for an individual developing alcoholism.

Understanding the complex interplay between genetics and environmental factors is crucial in developing effective prevention and treatment strategies for addiction. If you have a genetic risk of developing an alcohol addiction and have exhibited signs of this disorder, it’s important to seek treatment as soon as possible. Counseling and support can help tackle social and environmental factors that could contribute to an alcohol problem in the future. If you or a loved one has already developed a problem, there are outpatient and inpatient programs that can help. We began by computing twin-pair contingency tables separately for nicotine and alcohol dependence. The liability threshold model assumes that there is a single normally distributed dimension of liability with abrupt thresholds.