Alcoholism: Genetic Or Environmental?

There's nothing more that I love than being able to incorporate my minor (Addiction Studies) with my major, (Psychology).  Personally, I have never experienced living with an alcoholic and drinking is such a normal activity at family gatherings.  Due to the fact that we aren't around anyone who deals with alcoholism, everyone has a drink at parties.  Drinking is seen as a normal activity and some people are more prone to becoming alcoholics, whether they are Type 1 or Type 2.  Every time my brother has a beer, my mom says, "no te hagas un alcohólico!"

Before we can discuss alcoholism being genetic or environmental, we need to understand what alcoholism is.  According to our textbook, alcoholism or alcohol dependence, is the habitual use of alcohol despite medical or social harm, (pg. 77).

This video, explains how alcohol affects the neurons and how it blocks the glutamate, the excitation neurons.  The inhibitory neurons are called GABA and both of these neurons balance each other out, until alcohol is consumed.  Once it is consumed, the glutamate neurons are suppressed while GABA neurons are increased.  The increase of GABA and decrease of glutamate, cause a decrease in brain activity.  The glutamate decrease causes neurons to process information slowly and only the largest signals are able to be processed.  With the increase of GABA, you can think with more clarity, but less often.

There have been studies conducted on twins and adopted children* to determine if alcoholism was either genetic or environmental.  With the twin studies (second link), it was determined that if one twin was an alcoholic, the identical twin had a 76% chance of being one, while the fraternal twin had a 26% chance of being an alcoholic.  Both of these videos have information on the twin studies and on environmental factors of alcoholism, which is why I chose them.

Environment also plays a role in alcoholism.  People drink to deal with abuse, depression, stress and conflict with family, or when they socialize, etc.  Not only that, but children who grow up in families where drinking is seen as "normal" are more likely to become alcoholics.

So, is it genetics or the environment that is the cause of Alcoholism?  Alcoholism is 50% genetic and 50% environmental!

*Graphic images shown after 5:18.

For more information on how alcohol affects your body, and each part of your brain, click here!