War on Drugs

Genetics of Alcoholism A. Student Psychology ###: Counseling the Alcohol/Drug Dependent Person A. Teacher Genetics of Alcoholism Although most people abstain or drink safely, a sizable minority of the population abuses alcohol. The goal of research is to understand the cause of alcohol abuse and why alcohol leads to trouble for some and not others. It is already known that some susceptibility to developing alcohol-related problems is genetic, and animal research has indicated that inheritance …

…to trouble for many but not most people exposed to it. Also, with the progress researchers are making with the Human Genome Project, it will only be a matter of time before more genes that predispose a person to alcoholism are pinpointed. It is already clear that some vulnerability to developing alcohol related problems is passed on genetically. Some people have behaviors that involve alcohol consumption, ranging form simple alcohol experimentation to severe alcohol dependences.