For a long time, scientists began to wonder whether the gene for alcoholism exists. Is alcoholism itself a disease or a vice? Because the disease does not depend on a person, but a person brings destructive habits into his life. Why are some people completely indifferent to alcohol, others, on the contrary, themselves are looking for places and reasons to drink it? It is worth saying that such questions are asked not only by scientists, but also by ordinary people who want to get to the very core in everything.
It’s like it is, but it’s not like it
Scientists answer this question this way: there is a gene responsible for alcoholism, but there is no gene that completely ensures a person’s future life with the signature stamp “alcoholic”. The genes that are associated with alcoholism are divided into two groups. The first group controls the oxidation of ethyl alcohol, and the second determines human behavior. Variations of these genes affect a person’s propensity for certain types of addiction.
What is alcoholism?
To date, alcoholism is considered a hereditary disease. Scientists believe that heredity and habitat account for 50%.
When we talk about genetic inheritance, we understand that there are moments that are completely dependent on genetics. It can be the shape of the nose and the section of the eyes, such things cannot be changed by willpower alone; plastic surgery is necessary here. Alcoholism is considered a variable sign, where parents are given 50% percent so as not to raise an alcoholic from their child.
As if half of the responsibility in this matter lies with genetics, and the second half is how parents raised the child. If a person became an alcoholic, then the gene for alcoholism did the trick, and the second part was supplemented by parents and a bit of society.
Not so simple
If this theory were reliable and 100% justified, then the debate around this topic would have ceased, and everything would fall into place. The biological and moral-ethical issue is closely intertwined in these studies. Indeed, it is much more difficult to study behavior than to sort biological material into molecules. The disease is not difficult to fix: it is either there or not. But to diagnose a newborn that he is an alcoholic, no one will undertake. And how to identify whether he has this disposition? Even children of alcoholics, who, by logic, inherit the gene for alcoholism, do not have this disease. So, the moment of the person’s choice decides whether he will be an alcoholic or not. And if a person makes a decision, can this be called a disease? This is more relevant to behavioral reactions, and they are extremely difficult to study.
Relevance of the issue
Why has this question become so relevant that the bright heads of science are increasingly returning to it? Disappointing mortality statistics forced us to work on this topic more carefully. Is there an alcoholism gene? Down syndrome is determined by genomic pathology on chromosome 21, with alcoholism there is no such unambiguity. Moreover, from 30% of deaths of men of working age occurs directly from alcohol poisoning, or death occurs when a person inadvertently behaved while intoxicated. If alcoholism is considered a disease, then in this case the responsibility for all its actions is removed from the alcoholic. Well, what can I take from a sick person? Nevertheless, even the legislation is not on the side of such "patients", a crime in a state of intoxication is considered an aggravating circumstance, and not vice versa. If the gene for alcoholism is inherited and a person does not have power over himself, then such a judicial system is unfair to him.
Scientific research
Even without scientific experimentation, it was noticed that some individuals or nationalities get drunk faster and become more dependent on alcohol. It was such observations that made me delve into the topic of whether there is a gene for alcoholism. Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese do not tolerate the effects of alcohol. When alcohol enters the bloodstream, a violent reaction begins in the body, the heartbeat becomes more frequent, nausea and dizziness appear, and sweating intensifies. With such a state of health, a person simply cannot drink much, his body resists and he simply cannot become an alcoholic. In their bodies, alcohol turns into a toxic substance, the aldehyde after rapid oxidation. The presence of aldehyde in their blood will be 30 times greater than that of Europeans. Such features of the body protect them from alcoholism.
Some genes are responsible for the conversion of alcohol to aldehyde, while others oxidize the aldehyde, turning it into harmless substances. For residents of Southeast Asia, the first works quickly, and the second practically does not work. But again, this does not apply to absolutely every person of a certain nationality. When we talk about the gene for alcoholism, we mean genes that are responsible for metabolic processes in the body.
Drug treatment for alcoholism
Due to the genetic characteristics of each individual, there is the likelihood of some people becoming addicted and highly addicted. They themselves are not able to cope with this. But treatment takes place not only at the physiological level, a large percentage of responsibility still lies with the will and decision of the person himself. In narcology, it is precisely the effect of the delayed oxidation of aldehyde that certain types of treatment are based on. The patient is injected with special drugs that block the oxidation process, the mechanism of alcohol intolerance starts. And if during this period the patient violates the period of sobriety, then he becomes ill. Ethanol breaks down and releases toxins into the blood, and a person can simply die. It is worth noting that these procedures do not completely solve the problem. It only gives a person time to make a choice how he is going to live on.
Totem of genes and hormones
Scientists in Japan and the USA, as well as in a number of other European countries, conducted large-scale studies on the topic: are the genes of alcoholism transmitted. They were able to identify the relationship between alcohol addiction and a specific KLB gene. In their studies, they relied on the results of another study conducted a year earlier, which stated that the hormone FGF 21 also affects alcohol dependence. This hormone is produced by the liver and affects the nutritional habits of a person as a whole. Scientists have examined the genomes of 100,000 people, figuring out how often and how much they drink. As a result, it was found that the KLB gene and its mutations largely determined a strong craving for alcohol. This was confirmed in laboratory studies. If the KLB gene was disabled in rodents, they were more likely to drink alcohol. To be more precise, this gene is a kind of protection against alcohol. But scientists refrain from any statements, because in this matter the genetic component is not decisive. To answer the question of how the genes of alcoholism are transmitted, you need to accurately identify these genes, but no one has identified them yet.
A gene is just one of many factors.
There are many factors in order to become an alcoholic, and none of them will have power over a person if he does not consciously drink. He simply will not allow himself to drink: for the mood, for company, because everyone drinks, so as not to stand out, etc. One who cannot drink about or without reason cannot become an alcoholic. Habits and preferences of a person originate in childhood, when he sees that his parents in an atmosphere of fun and laughter raise a glass for a glass, give him a drink of beer and buy children's champagne for the holiday, saying with all his actions that there is nothing wrong with that.
Of course, if this child becomes an alcoholic, parents will say that they did not raise their child in the same way, they themselves are not alcoholics, they do not even imagine how this could happen. But statistics show that more alcoholics leave families of parents who drink, families of smokers have more parents who smoke, even though the parents themselves did not want to admit this. Not every parent is so honest with himself to admit that he is the cause of his child’s misfortune.
The results are insignificant, but scientists hope that even with their help, addicts can be healed.
How to understand your gene pool?
You can talk about the latest scientific discoveries and how they change the fate of other people. But everyone, of course, is interested in first of all sorting out his life. After thinking a little about this topic, you immediately wonder about whether you have a gene for alcoholism. How to determine its effect on your craving for alcohol, are you a candidate for alcoholics or not? There is no gaiety and banal interest in this matter, because we all saw victims of alcohol and not a single sane person would like to be in their place.
For those who are worried about their heredity, there are several options for developing the situation: avoid drinking alcohol in any quantities, in this case, you still do not lose anything, and your body will thank you. You can also analyze the gene for alcoholism. A geneticist will give you an opinion on the result of the research. You will receive lifestyle and nutritional recommendations. You can get advice on hereditary diseases, including monogenic ones. Monogenic diseases appear in any case, which is often noticeable at the beginning of life. In other cases, diseases can never make themselves felt, as is the case with alcoholism.
Drinking from generation to generation. Is it so?
The gene for alcoholism is not inherent in man by nature. On the contrary, there are genes that work in such a way that a person does not fall into any dependencies. There are a number of genes (there are about a dozen) that increase the desire to drink alcohol. All these genes have an extremely weak effect, none of them is a determining and sentence for their carrier. Even if one person has several such genes, they do not have that “critical mass” to start the development of alcoholism. It depends on the person himself whether they will realize these natural risks. Family plays an important role here. Not even the best set of genes can remain “silent” if a child grows up under normal conditions.
How to choose a life partner with good genes?
If you think about procreation, then naturally you need to choose for your partners those who have good genes. But here it is not so simple. It was revealed that the protective gene can equally work with both teetotalers and alcoholics. A number of alcoholics were identified who felt very ill after drinking. With all the worst manifestations and consequences, but they are addicted and cannot drink. Among the teetotalers, there were few who had a protective gene, while they did not want to surrender to the slave of alcohol and were extremely restrained in its use, or did not drink at all. Their genes were almost the same as those of alcoholics. So here you need to choose a partner not with good genes, but with a good upbringing.
Scientists do not lose hope
Despite the fact that the gene for alcoholism in its pure form has not been identified, scientists have found about 100 genes that are “to blame” for the fact that people become addicted to alcohol and do not lose hope of using all these discoveries for the benefit of mankind. Who knows, maybe there are still unknown components in the duet of genes and hormones? The time will come, and a person will not need to think whether to drink or not to drink, at some point the destructive mechanism will simply turn off, and life will begin from scratch.