Is Alcoholism Hereditary?

Through the years, there have been a number of studies and much speculation concerning a possible role of heredity in alcoholism, and these can be grouped into five types: family studies, twin studies, adoption studies, genetic marker studies and "selfselection" animal studies.

Abstract

Alcoholism is a familial disorder; studies have repeatedly shown a high prevalence of alcoholism among the relatives of alcoholics. In studying a familial disorder, it is important to determine whether the illness is influenced by heredity. Separating "nature" from "nurture" is a difficult (some say impossible) task, but nevertheless, through the years, there have been a number of studies and much speculation concerning a possible role of heredity in alcoholism. The studies can be grouped into five types: (1) family studies, (2) twin studies, (3) adoption studies, (4) genetic marker studies and (5) "selfselection" animal studies.