Era Might Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 What are your opinions on alcoholism "as a disease." Is it inherited? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r2Dtoo Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Well, a disease simply means one is not at ease, so yes alcoholism is a disease. As far as it being inherited maybe in some cases, but usually I would say no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyAnn Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 [quote name='Era Might' timestamp='1345327769' post='2469825'] What are your opinions on alcoholism "as a disease." Is it inherited? [/quote] No it is not inherited as such. However one may inherit a predisposition to alcoholism, and this has been well documented. Alcoholism is an addiction. I am reluctant to call it a disease because I don't think any substance addiction can be technically classified as a disease. But that doesn't make is any less serious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luigi Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 It's not caused by a germ, but it can be understood and treated as a disease. Like a disease, it has a set of symptoms, and it has a predictable (although often uneven) progression. Schick - the razor company - did a lot of research on it in the 1960's. They maintain that some - but not all - alcoholism is a result of liver dysfunction. The liver produces enzymes - one of the enzymes it's supposed to produce takes apart alcohol molecules - the livers of some genetic groups often do not produce the necessary enzyme. Those genetic groups include: Native Americans, black Africans, northern Europeans. Mediterranean peoples do not typically have the liver dysfunction, therefore, Jews, Arabs, Turks, Italians, etc. do not show the liver-dysfunction type of alcoholism. Of course, they can still drink to excess, and do it frequently, but theirs is not a physiology-based alcoholism. Of course, some people develop alcoholism for reasons other than physiology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 I'm not a geneticist or biologist, so I can't comment on whether a generic predisposition exists, same as the rest of us I'm assuming. But from a sociological perspective it's clear that certain groups are more inclined to alcoholism. Certainly we should recognize that when considering how best to tackle the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 (edited) Here are my thoughts, both as a counselor and as someone who grew up in an alcaholic family, and as someone who has struggled with codeendency -- which is a WHOLE lot like addiction.... I think there are phyiological and other kinds of things that predispose some people to the disease, and also that sometimes it just happens. Who knows why some people can take a drink and stop... while others..... But... I especially like a comment that my drug & alcohol counseling teacher made regarding addictions: [b]You are not responsible for your addiction.[/b] [b]You ARE responsible for your recovery.[/b] In other words... yes, her belief - and that of the profession -- is that there are physiological aspects to various addictions.... and people get addicted, sometimes without being aware of what is happening.. Some people have more of a predisposition to it than others, from genetics, from psychosocial things, from MANY things. BUT... all of us are responsible for NOT relapsing. Some people with a problem can handle an occasional drink; most can't. I have to be careful when I'm around a co-dependent type situation. It's easy to relapse. It is SO easy to relapse.... We need to know our triggers... we need to know how to avoid them... we need to know how to get back on when we fall off. Rather like being sinners... Yeah, at some level all sin is a choice... but there are some that almost seem to just happen unwilled, yes? Partly because we suffer the effects of original sin... and our own sins... and some of our sinful tendencies come of our choices, some because of things that have happened to us... but all sin is a choice in that we are responsible for avoiding near occasions of sin and for building ourselves up in virtue.... Edited August 18, 2012 by AnneLine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 (edited) This is what Wikipedia has on the subject. Probably worth following the references, but I'm not really interested enough to do so. OP should if he finds it interesting. [b] Causes[/b] A complex mixture of genetic and environmental factors influences the risk of the development of alcoholism.[sup][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#cite_note-Enoch-2006-56"][57][/url][/sup] Genes that influence the metabolism of alcohol also influence the risk of alcoholism, and may be indicated by a family history of alcoholism.[sup][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#cite_note-57"][58][/url][/sup] One paper has found that alcohol use at an early age may influence the expression of genes which increase the risk of alcohol dependence.[sup][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#cite_note-58"][59][/url][/sup] Individuals who have a genetic disposition to alcoholism are also more likely to begin drinking at an earlier age than average.[sup][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#cite_note-eattrfad-59"][60][/url][/sup] Also, a younger age of onset of drinking is associated with an increased risk of the development of alcoholism,[sup][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#cite_note-eattrfad-59"][60][/url][/sup] and about 40 percent of alcoholics will drink excessively by their late adolescence. It is not entirely clear whether this association is causal, and some researchers have been known to disagree with this view.[sup][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#cite_note-Schwandt-2010-60"][61][/url][/sup] A high testosterone concentration during pregnancy may be a risk factor for later development of alcohol dependence.[sup][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#cite_note-61"][62][/url][/sup] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_trauma"]Severe childhood trauma[/url] is also associated with a general increase in the risk of drug dependency.[sup][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#cite_note-Enoch-2006-56"][57][/url][/sup] Lack of peer and family support is associated with an increased risk of alcoholism developing.[sup][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#cite_note-Enoch-2006-56"][57][/url][/sup] Genetics and adolescence are associated with an increased sensitivity to the neurotoxic effects of chronic alcohol abuse. [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_cortex"]Cortical[/url] degeneration due to the neurotoxic effects increases impulsive behaviour, which may contribute to the development, persistence and severity of alcohol use disorders. There is evidence that with abstinence, there is a reversal of at least some of the alcohol induced central nervous system damage.[sup][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#cite_note-Crews-2009-62"][63][/url][/sup] [b] Genetic variation[/b] [i]See also: [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_genetic_variation"]Human genetic variation[/url][/i] Genetic differences exist between different racial groups which affect the risk of developing alcohol dependence. For example, there are differences between African, East Asian and Indo-racial groups in how they metabolize alcohol. These genetic factors are believed to, in part, explain the differing rates of alcohol dependence among racial groups.[sup][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#cite_note-Moore-2007-63"][64][/url][/sup][sup][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#cite_note-Eng-2007-64"][65][/url][/sup] The [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_dehydrogenase"]alcohol dehydrogenase[/url] allele ADH1 B*3 causes a more rapid metabolism of alcohol. The allele ADH1 B*3 is only found in those of African descent and certain Native American tribes. African Americans and Native Americans with this allele have a reduced risk of developing alcoholism.[sup][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#cite_note-Scott-2007-65"][66][/url][/sup] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples_of_the_Americas"]Native Americans[/url] however, have a significantly higher rate of alcoholism than average; it is unclear why this is the case.[sup][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#cite_note-Ehlers-2007-66"][67][/url][/sup] Other risk factors such as cultural environmental effects e.g. [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_trauma"]trauma[/url]have been proposed to explain the higher rates of alcoholism among Native Americans compared to alcoholism levels in caucasians.[sup][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#cite_note-Szlemko-2006-67"][68][/url][/sup][sup][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#cite_note-Spillane-2007-68"][color=#0645AD][background=initial][[/background][/color][color=#0645ad]69[/color][color=#0645AD][background=initial]][/background][/color][/url][/sup] [list] [*]^ [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#cite_ref-Enoch-2006_56-0"][sup][i][b]a[/b][/i][/sup][/url] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#cite_ref-Enoch-2006_56-1"][sup][i][b]b[/b][/i][/sup][/url] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#cite_ref-Enoch-2006_56-2"][sup][i][b]c[/b][/i][/sup][/url] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#cite_ref-Enoch-2006_56-3"][sup][i][b]d[/b][/i][/sup][/url] Enoch, MA. 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Jaime Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 [quote name='Nihil Obstat' timestamp='1345329836' post='2469843'] I'm not a geneticist or biologist, so I can't comment on whether a generic predisposition exists, same as the rest of us I'm assuming. But from a sociological perspective it's clear that certain groups are more inclined to alcoholism. Certainly we should recognize that when considering how best to tackle the problem. [/quote] I am an internet certified geneticist from a highly respected non accredited school. I remember reading some studies 15 years ago that talked about the inherited qualities of alcoholism. The study that was about children from third and fourth generation alcoholics. The study showed that 50 percent of those children became alcoholics. But the interesting part of the study was that out of the 50% that wasn't, 48% didn't drink at all! Only 2% were able to be social drinkers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 [quote name='jaime' timestamp='1345333198' post='2469868'] I am an internet certified geneticist from a highly respected non accredited school. I remember reading some studies 15 years ago that talked about the inherited qualities of alcoholism. The study that was about children from third and fourth generation alcoholics. The study showed that 50 percent of those children became alcoholics. But the interesting part of the study was that out of the 50% that wasn't, 48% didn't drink at all! Only 2% were able to be social drinkers. [/quote] I don't find that surprising. The First Nations reserves in Canada (as well as the subsidized "Indian Villiages" in the various cities), and probably in the US too in whatever form they take, could pretty much be a case study for generation to generation alcoholism. It's very sad. I don't know where we could even start in making that situation better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 Schizophrenia has a very strong genetic component. Still, if your identical twin gets it, you only have a 47% chance of getting it. It takes a trigger. I have found that the same in my family with alcoholism. War's a big trigger. So is tragedy like the death of a child. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaime Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 [quote name='Nihil Obstat' timestamp='1345333789' post='2469873'] I don't find that surprising. The First Nations reserves in Canada (as well as the subsidized "Indian Villiages" in the various cities), and probably in the US too in whatever form they take, could pretty much be a case study for generation to generation alcoholism. It's very sad. I don't know where we could even start in making that situation better. [/quote] You don't find it surprising that I'm an internet certified geneticist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 (edited) [quote name='jaime' timestamp='1345337485' post='2469897'] You don't find it surprising that I'm an internet certified geneticist? [/quote] Not particularly. You look like the type who does [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Titor"]internet science[/url] all the time. [spoiler][img]http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lneo1yyBbv1qav5eko1_500.jpg[/img][/spoiler] Edited August 19, 2012 by Nihil Obstat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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