Genetics And Alcoholism Essay

1067 Words5 Pages

Alcoholism has been a problem in society for many, many years. Teens, adolescents and adults have suffered from alcohol disorders, and many of them have abused tobacco and drugs as well. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) created a survey regarding Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) to determine that 8.5% of adults in North America showed signs of an alcohol use disorder, 2% showed signs of drug use disorders and 1% showed signs of having both(NIAAA. 2008). In this paper, I am going to discuss links between genetics and alcohol abuse.
Alcoholism commonly runs in families and research shows findings to back this up since the 1950’s. Studies show that alcoholism can be problematic for families based on genetics …show more content…

They performed interviews with adult males and daughters of both groups to see if there were any similarities. The belief was that there would be higher rates of alcoholism with children who have alcoholic biological parents, than those of the control parents(Heath, 1995). The investigators also found biological parents who had given one child up for adoption, but kept second child. This would help researchers study the effects the environment might have on a …show more content…

2000). First time drinkers who need a lot of alcohol to feel an effect are more likely to become alcoholics in the future as well(Schuckit, M. 2000). The more a person takes, the more of a reaction they will have. Current societal issues regarding genetics in alcoholism are that results are incorrect. As I said earlier in one study, the results were wrong and people that need treatment might be considered low risk and not get the help they