European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 20, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The genetics of alcoholism by Janee Brody new York times alcoholism runs in la mimics. A Kiel Taco Gnu de since Ancion Homes. Although familial alcoholism has Long been attributed to an inherited weak  until recently most researchers thought in was almost entirely the result of environmental influences Imi Lalion of parental drinking habits poverty and other social and family pressures. However studios conducted in the Las i 15 years including a 1972 investigation of g9 hospitalized alcoholics in St Louis and i hair siblings and ongoing Sladics of twins and adopted children in Scandinavia have shed important new Light on the genetics of alcoholism the findings indicate Hal for at least Hall the 10 million alcoholics in the United Stales hereditary factors overwhelmingly determined their development of the disease. Researchers have identified As important influences such inherited  As How an individual metabolizes alcohol hormonal and behavioural effects of alcohol and tolerance of High Levels of alcohol in the blood on average As swedish studies of adopted children clearly showed the children of alcoholics Are Lour limes Moru Likely Han other children to become alcoholics. This risk prevails even if the children Are adapted Early in me by people who do not abuse alcohol rather than implying that some people Ere doomed in alcoholism he findings suggest new ways to id enl i Hose at risk and to help prevent them from becoming alcoholics. Just As people who have inherited a predisposition for developing coronary heart disease can take precautions those at risk of developing alcoholism can learn to recognize potential problems and modify i hair drinking behaviour accordingly. First and Foremost the children and grandchildren of alcoholics must a aware of the risk to i hair health. Al a National conference earlier this year on the genetics of alcoholism that was organized by the new York state division of alcoholism and alcohol abuse Robert v. Shear director of the division cited the results of a Telephone Survey conducted last december among 2.000 randomly selected slate residents aged 16 years or older. While 166 percent of the respondents said that one or both of their parents wore alcoholics Only 5 percent of those surveyed knew thai the children of alcoholics faced an increased risk of developing the disease. The children of alcoholics were no More Likely than the other respondents to be aware of this. Be i the findings suggested Lack of awareness can increase the chances of alcoholism developing. In the Survey to children of alcoholics who did not know of their higher risk drank three times As much and seven times As Ollen As those who knew they might be predisposed to alcoholism. Those who were not aware of such a link were much More Likely to drink to intoxication than those who recognized their risk. In other words simply knowing about the risk helped the grown children of alcoholics to control their own drinking Beller. Even if you Are not the child of an alcoholic but Are a blood relative of one the risk is formidable. At the alcoholism conference or Theodore Reich of the alcohol research censer at Washington University in St Louis described his study conducted from 1370 to 1933. Of �43 alcoholics and their families. Among the 202 men. 38 percent had alcoholic lathers and 21 percent had alcoholic mothers 57 percent had alcoholic Brothers and 15 percent had alcoholic Sisters 32 percent had alcoholic sons and 19 percent had alcoholic daughters. Of the 41 women the Rales of alcoholism among their parents siblings and children were similar. Familial alcoholism lends to develop Early in life. Reich found by age 25. 32 percent of the sons of the alcoholic lathers in the study had become alcoholics of the sons of alcoholic mothers Hall had become Page 16 this stars and stripes alcoholics by age 25. At this rate Reich projected by age 40, More than half of the men and women with one alcoholic Parent will has developed the disease among those with two alcoholic parents 60 to 55 percent will be Likely to have it by contrast for individuals in the general population  will Jve Lually develop in about 3 percent of the women and 8 to 10 percent of the men. National health statistics show. In separate studies described by or. Donald w. Goodwin of the University of Kansas medical Center in was shown that even if their parents were Teeto tales people who had alcoholic grandparents were far More Likely than others to become alcoholics scientists searching for precise genetic actors that predispose families to alcoholism have found one thing that actually protects against alcoholism the Lack of an enzyme that Breaks Down acetaldehyde a stimulating but toxic substance formed in the body from alcohol. This enzyme deficiency is especially common among asians two thirds of whom suffer ill effects from Small amounts of alcohol Goodwin reported. The resulting buildup of acetaldehyde can cause those with the deficiency to become hushed dizzy headache and nauseated after drinking Only a Irttie alcohol. In general women and jews Are also More Likely than Gentile men to experience such effects from alcohol. Goodwin said. On average Only about 5 percent of caucasians Are affected by alcohol in this Way. Or. Marc a. Schuckit. A psychiatrist at the University of California at san Diego who has studied the Young As yet nonalcoholic sons of alcoholics. Found that Ihor response to alcohol differs significantly irom that of the sons of nonalcoholic. When Given the same amount of alcohol As sons of sunday. September 20, t987 nonalcoholic. The alcoholics sons fell less dizzy their posture was More stable and there was less of a change in secretion of hormones that Are usually Alle cled by alcohol. In other words they got less drunk indicating a higher tolerance for alcohol. Other studies have shown that those predisposed to alcoholism get More stimulation and pleasure from alcohol As reflected by changes in brain chemicals and electrical pal terns. At the slate University of new York downstate medical Center in Brooklyn. Or. Henri Begleiter found differences in electrical brain responses to alcohol. Me and his colleagues showed that the brain Waves that follow a characteristic pattern when people have to make a decision called p3 Waves differ markedly in the sons of alcoholics irom the p3 Waves in people who drink Only socially after just one drink. Researchers Are working toward the Day when simple screening tests will Snow which people Are predisposed to alcoholism. Meanwhile they recommend the following ii you Are a male whose father suffered from severe alcoholism you would be Wise to avoid alcohol entirely. If your Mother father or any grandparent was an alcoholic consider yourself at risk of alcohol abuse. If you choose to drink at All limit your intake to one or iwo drinks per occasion and avoid drinking every Day and when you Are depressed or alone. If you find yourself drinking to excess drinking More than live drinks per occasion drinking to get drunk or being unable to remember what happened alter you were drinking gel help r