Alcoholism Inherited?

In the case of some people, scientists speculate that a tendency to alcoholism may be inherited through a specific gene, according to a study reported in The Journal of the American Medical Association. It claims to have pinpointed a gene that puts people at risk of becoming alcoholics. However, scientists caution that no single gene leads to alcoholism. The head of the research team said: “The good Lord did not make an alcoholic gene, but one that seems to be involved in pleasure-​seeking behaviors.”

The report continued: “The researchers said no single gene, including this one, caused all forms of alcoholism. Some people with the gene they studied did not become alcoholics, while some who lacked the gene did become alcoholics . . . Social and cultural factors may set off the affliction for many alcoholics.”