Examples Of Genetic Disposition Of Alcoholism

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If you could find out your genetic disposition of alcoholism, would you do it? Alcoholism is an addiction to the consumption of alcoholic liquor or the mental illness and compulsive behavior resulting from alcohol dependency. Addiction occurs once the brain senses a certain activity giving it pleasure; it will rewire the brain chemistry in a way which makes the person want to have more of that activity. The activity here in this case being consumption of alcohol. You can find out a lot by looking at your genes you inherit from your parents. Alcoholism often seems to run in families, and we may hear about scientific studies of an “alcoholism gene.” Genetics certainly influence our likelihood of developing alcoholism, but it’s actually not that …show more content…
Finding out your genetic disposition of alcoholism can be done in several different ways.
A study that was recently done came up with several environmental factors, genes, and mediating factors for alcoholism. The environmental factors include; maternal psychopathology, parental alcoholism, harsh inconsistent discipline, parental rejection, physical and sexual abuse, later life events. Some genes to look for are; MAOA, HTT, COMT, CRHI1, GABA A, ALD1B, ALDH2. Also, some mediating factors include alcohol availability, emotional and social support, peer influences, and socioeconomic status (Ducci and Goldman). We are all are born with a genetic predisposition of addiction. An example of that is if an animal eats something that tastes good causing them pleasure, they will want more, just like people with alcohol and other addictive things. Although everyone has a potential for becoming addicted to alcohol, it depends on when and how they are introduced to the drug. Some people start drinking very young and
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Environmental factors plays a huge role in part of the other half of the risk for alcoholism. There are so many environmental factors it is ridiculous. Environmental influences on alcohol use include: acceptance of alcohol use by society; availability (including price, number of outlets, and server practices); advertising and marketing both nationally and locally; and public policies regarding alcohol and enforcement of those policies. Some examples of acceptance by society are; movies, videos, music, television, and much more. Availability is huge when it comes to becoming an alcoholic. The more licensed liquor places nearby, the more likely you are to buy it and drink more than usual. Public policies, laws and regulations around alcohol affect the community as a whole ("The Effects of Environmental Factors on Alcohol Use and