[sGt HarDKorE]

My mom says alcoholism runs in the family and that we have thin blood or something, but when I drink nothing bad happens aside from getting drunk itself. Is there really such thing as alcoholism being genetic or w/e?

[ylaira]

Genetic predisposition testing

Psychiatric geneticists John I. Nurnberger, Jr. and Laura Jean Bierut suggest that alcoholism does not have a single cause—including genetic—but that genes do play an important role "by affecting processes in the body and brain that interact with one another and with an individual's life experiences to produce protection or susceptibility." They also report that less than a dozen alcoholism-related genes have been identified, but that more likely await discovery.

At least one genetic test exists for an allele that is correlated to alcoholism and opiate addiction. Human dopamine receptor genes have a detectable variation referred to as the DRD2 TaqI polymorphism. Those who possess the A1 allele (variation) of this polymorphism have a small but significant tendency towards addiction to opiates and endorphin releasing drugs like alcohol.[24] Although this allele is slightly more common in alcoholics and opiate addicts, it is not by itself an adequate predictor of alcoholism, and some researchers argue that evidence for DRD2 is contradictory.

Alcoholism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Wondergirl]

I can supply anecdotal evidence. A high number of my husband's family members have died from cirrhosis or from a drunken fall down stairs or from other complications of alcohol. Three (and maybe four) of his five siblings are alcoholics. His maternal grandparents were alcoholics; his paternal grandfather was an alcoholic. No one is willing to talk about alcoholism, and no one knows about earlier generations. Alcoholism is the family secret.

Certainly the tendency to cover pain and solve problems with alcohol is there. I would guess there is a genetic factor too.

Read up on alcoholism to find out the danger signals and the biochemical process that takes place to make someone an alcoholic.

[justcurious55]

I don't know any solid facts, but there's a lot of alcoholics in my own family, all on one side.

[ylaira]

... because everyone in the family thinks that drinking heavily is okay including babies.

[simoneaugie]

Alcoholism is a sneaky disease. It hides and lies and tells the sufferer that they don't have a problem. Unlike cancer or diabetes, showing signs of the disease doesn't gain a person sympathy. Alcoholism is viewed by a majority of the population as a lack of self-control.

Someone lacking the genes, predisposition or whatever usually gets sick after a few drinks. Or they quit drinking for a few hours because they know that enough is what they're feeling. Why? Someone who isn't an alcoholic (called a normie) doesn't process alcohol the same way as an alcoholic.

Alcohol, once ingested is broken down by the body. The first chemical it is made into is acetylcholine. This floats around in the blood and is part of what gives you a hangover. If someone is an alcoholic they can drink enournous quantities before feeling drunk, especially with practice. More aceltylcholine can and does circulate in their blood. As alcoholism progresses, the body rebels, blocking, as much as it can, the absorption of alcohol into cells. More booze is required to get to the same place. This blocking also blocks nutrients.

The safest course of action is to quit drinking now while you're young. Few alcoholics choose to do that. For them, drinking is fun. They seldom feel sick or unable to function while drinking and do not see the disease slipping it's way into their mind with its lies. I know several serious drinking buddies who have been arrested with blood alcohol levels in excess of 3.5%, and they didn't even seem drunk. They tell me that a level of 4% can kill. Alcoholics function better when drunk, although passed out and hung over are huge time wasters.

If alcoholism runs in your family, it's better not to drink. That isn't what you want to hear, I know. I didn't want to hear it, but oh, I wish I'd listened when it was easy to quit.

[sGt HarDKorE]

Yeah me and my friends were talking and we think we are going to take a break from it, last time we did it I got so drunk I can't even remember the night at all. I think I had 17 shots for my friends 17th birthday. Anyway supposedly I thought I was going to die or something at some point in the night and they were just about to call the police

[Emland]

Sounds like you came dangerously close to alcohol poisoining, sGt.

Alcoholism destroyed my sister's family and is not something to play with.

[kroderus]

80% of what we do is genetic. Even alcoholism. But whether you drink or not is your choice. Its more of nurture over nature(how your raised over how your born). As for thin blood. That could be genetic, and alcohol may upset that condition and cause you to get drunk faster

[simoneaugie]

Yeah me and my friends were talking and we think we are gonna take a break from it, last time we did it i got so drunk i can't even remember the night at all. I think i had 17 shots for my friends 17th birthday. Anyways supposedly i thought i was gonna die or something at some point in the night and they were just about to call the police

Oohh. Read what you said again. People have gotten pregnant or an STD and not remember the other person involved. That is not fun, or cool!

Did you know that more people die from alcohol in one US city in one week than all the other drug-related deaths in the entire country in a year? If you live in the north, it's common to get drunk and pass out in a car and die of hypothermia. Or you could get in a bad car wreck or a fight. When you're a little older there's always cancer of the esophagus or stomach, even the mouth. Alcohol contributes to many illnesses and is overlooked. For instance, many alkies are severely malnourished and cannot afford to see a doctor because all their spare money is spent on you know what.

The worst thing to me is how it puts drinkers at "half mast." In other words, at work they are half as smart, strong and appropriately reactive. As the disease gets worse, and it always gets worse, missing work time because of a hangover or because you're still drunk gets more frequent. Not good for working towards the American, or any dream.