Can it be genetic?

I drink a lot more than I should. There we go, I've said it, for the first time ever.
I can't drink as much as some people I know; I have many stomach problems from having overdosed excessively on clinical drugs in the past. So the alcohol is simultaneously a form of torture for my stomach and a form of release for my mind.
I did the usual binge-drinking at 15, which went on a lot around the kind of public school I went to. That wasn't the problem though, that was just a social attempt to fit in, which I soon went off. The real problem has been happening as I became older, and had relationship and friendship problems. I'm very non-confrontational, and tend to lean towards self hate. So when a problem comes up, I just drink instead, I don't feel like I'm important enough to stand up for myself. I get introverted - the drink doesn't make me aggressive, rather it makes me more numb and passive - like a reed blowing in the wind. I try to hide how much I drink from others. The drink problem got worst in my second year of university, when I experienced problems with my ex and my housemate basically abusing me.

But the crucial thing I've been wondering recently is this:

Can alcoholism be genetic?
Someone at work mentioned today that it was.

And about a month ago I discovered that my own mother is severely depressed and alcoholic. She hides it very well, (I never noticed when I was a kid) and is not aggressive but rather becomes very dazed and affectionate towards my siblings, and to me when I'm over there. My father informed me that my mother knows someone like my ex housemate, who used to abuse her, and even 40 years down the line they won't give up and because of it she's been like this for so long, and he's finding it very hard to stop her from turning to drink as she's so good at hiding it.

It's shocking to discover that all my symptoms and ways of behaving are present in my mother, like I am replaying her life without even realising... I really want to know if alcoholism can be genetic, I want to know why I react to situations in this way..

Hi,

Alcoholism can't be genetic... ...but an addictive personality CAN be. If you have an addictive personality, then you will be prone to OCD, alcoholism, etc. I think that i't sgreat that you've come here to admit that you have this problem, but how easy or hard would it be for you to just say 'no' right now and vow never to drink again? It would probably involve not going out with the usual crowd as much, but would that be all bad? What if you started going to different places, like a cafe or something?; and going there with new people?

Kevin

Nobody can give you a definitive "yes" or "no" to that question. But there have been lots and lots of studies showing a strong genetic link to alcoholism. Studies have shown you to be up to 400% more likely to be an alcoholic if both your parents are alcoholics. I suppose you could argue that someone might "learn" to be an alcoholic through modeling if they lived with parents like that. But twin studies also support genetic factors. And I'm talking about twins who were separated at birth and adopted by different families. The twins don't know each other, nor do they know their biological parents. Yet, in a lot of cases, the twins developed alcohol use patterns similar to their biological parents.

I dont know if it's genetic but I mother was (and still could be, idk haven't seen her in a while) A very bad alocholic. She actually did some similiar stuff that do I with the getting drunk coming home with less clothes on then she left with as well doing anything for a man when she was drunk. I do the same stuff. I don't know if that is just by chance or genetic or kind of genetic because i have a similiar personallity or something, idk but I do do the same crap as my mom did when she was drunk when im drunk

Hello Harri, I will give you a definitive yes or no answer to your question.

Harri wrote:Can alcoholism be genetic?

And my anser is NO. You are not born with a desire to drink or smoke or use heavy drugs. However, you are born with a desire to work, eat and have sex. You don't feel like getting drunk when you hit puberty. You feel like getting drunk after you have that first drink and drink again and again. It doesn't matter if your parents drank or not. It matters if you drink and do you drink to the point where it becomes an addiction.

Chucky wrote:If you have an addictive personality, then you will be prone to OCD, alcoholism, etc.

There is no such thing as addictive personality. What most addict do is that they try to replace current addictions with new addictions in hope of getting rid of current addictions ofcourse that fails and they end up being addicted to multiple addictions. you can go to my webpage on how addictions works but it is mostly for overcoming sex addiction. of course i help people with other addictions also www.addictioncontrol.blogspot.com

Well, I agree that many simply replace one addiction with another. I have learned to just accept an obsession into my life if I see there being no hope of 'defeating' it. By accepting it, I can work my way around it, but it's still there.

You know, you don't have to advertise your blog in 'all' f your posts dude!

Kevin