Certainly the popular notion that alcoholism may be
inherited from our parents has gained momentum in recent
times. This is not a new school of thought by any means,
but it has gained creditability as a result of detailed
investigations that have been carried out in the name of
science these past decades. There is no question that
typically a pattern emerges where a tendency to alcoholism
and alcohol related problems do affect siblings and
generations within a family. By no means does this
conclusively indicate that alcoholism or alcohol related
problems will plague you because you inherited the gene
from a parent.
On the other hand, there are many genetically inherited
characteristics that have been proven to impact on the
likelihood of an individual becoming a statistic of
alcoholism related concerns. It is understood that the
predisposition to alcoholism may be contributed by a number
of factors including genetic makeup and social or
environmental aspects. As yet, there has not been a
breakthrough in the discovery of a particular alcoholic
gene but there have been significant findings in the
relationship between some inherited genes that are known to
be present in a vast number of alcoholics studied. 5-HTT
(the serotonin transporter gene), the gene found in
depression sufferers is one example of an inherited gene
shared by many alcoholics. The presence of this gene also
does not doom a person to depression. Like alcoholism,
social and environmental factors are very evident in the
reflection of the condition upon an individual.
Another genetically inherited characteristic that has a
relationship to alcoholism is a variation in our liver
enzymes that controls the rate that our liver processes
alcohol. Alcoholism is considered to be a complex disease
as is diabetes, meaning that genetic makeup alone does not
automatically lead to alcoholism, social environmental
influences contribute to the diseases presence.
We typically learn our social skills from within our
families from birth. It is here that we learn right from
wrong and acceptable social behavior. If a family get
together is learned from our childhood conditioning as
being an event that alcohol is consumed for the merriment
of all this becomes imprinted in our minds as the nature of
social interaction. The same principle applies to all other
occasions and daily events. Certainly social conditioning
is learned from all that we are exposed to, not just our
immediate family. Indeed, visual repetitive learning is a
valuable and effective teaching tool; unfortunately, it is
not so selective as to be able to dismiss the negative
influence also.
Environmental factors that often reflect a tendency toward
alcoholism do not fall squarely in the home of a family.
Habitual behavior and life choices remain the
responsibility of an individual. If your mother was an
alcoholic, and the family drank to excess at home and
socially, this does not absolve an individual of
responsibility from the choices they make for themselves.
Science has not finished with alcoholism. Certainly medical
communities are diligently pressing on with the hope that
one day this disease that destroys mankind from the inside
out and devastates entire families and the loved ones of
sufferers may one day be completely understood. We do know
that genetics does contribute some to the condition of
alcoholism, and do know that the presence of the disease is
generated from complex factors including genetic and social
environment, but there is still much to be learned. In the
mean time, we may be grateful that help and support is
available when someone is willing to accept it.
----------------------------------------------------
Pick up your Free 101 page Addiction Recovery Help Guide
just for visiting our site. Bill Urell MA.CAAP-II, is an
addictions therapist at a leading treatment center,
teaching healthy recovery skills. Visit:
http://www.AddictionRecoveryBasics.com
No comments:
Post a Comment