American scientists have come to the conclusion that children, both of whose parents suffer from alcoholism, are 5 times more likely to develop addiction than their peers, where families do not abuse alcohol. Based on the data obtained, many doctors began to talk about a genetic predisposition to alcoholism, which is inherited. I propose to find out how well-reasoned such a position is.
From a medical point of view, genetic alcoholism is a hereditary disease caused by a malfunction of one or more genes, leading to the formation of a persistent addiction to alcohol. The cause is considered to be excessive alcohol consumption by close relatives of the patient, primarily parents, grandparents.
In this case, a number of questions arise:
1. What genes are associated with alcoholism? While scientists can not give a definite answer. They are only sure that several different groups of genes are responsible for the development of alcoholism, but they have not yet been identified. Without evidence, the assertion that alcoholism is inherited can be considered just a hypothesis.
2. What is the probability of getting sick with genetic alcoholism? Supporters of this theory do not operate with numbers, they talk about a certain predisposition, it is not possible to single out the degree of influence of which among many other factors (social, psychological, economic, etc.).
3. Can genetic alcoholism be treated? The reasons are not clear, the degree of influence is also, of course, that there are no methods of treatment. Doctors do not recommend that parents abuse alcohol so that the addiction is not passed on to their children. But scientists cannot say what to do for people whose parents were alcoholics. The advice not to drink alcohol at all is trite.
Based on the statistics of the probability of developing dependence on alcohol in children of alcoholics, defenders of the genetic theory forget that at an early age, children tend to copy the behavior of others around them. Becoming teenagers, they use the embedded model on a subconscious level, without thinking about the motives of their actions. In drinking families, children even play at a feast, imitating the use of alcoholic beverages. It is not genes that are to blame, but the dominant pattern of parental behavior.
Alcoholism is a socio-psychological problem, the presence of a genetic component in it has not yet been proven. In order not to become an alcoholic, it is enough for a person to control the dose of alcohol they drink, and not rely on their bad genes.