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A family history of alcoholism: is your family at risk?

A family history of alcoholism: are you at risk?
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IN BRIEF: If you're among the millions of people who have a parent, grandparent, or other close relative with alcoholism, you may have wondered what your family's history of alcoholism means for you. Are problems with alcohol a part of your future? Is your risk for becoming an alcoholic greater than for people who don't have a family history of alcoholism? If so, what can you do to lower your risk?

If you're among the millions of people who have a parent, grandparent, or other close relative with alcoholism, you may have wondered what your family's history of alcoholism means for you. Are problems with alcohol a part of your future? Is your risk for becoming an alcoholic greater than for people who don't have a family history of alcoholism? If so, what can you do to lower your risk?

What is alcoholism?

Alcoholism, or "alcohol dependence", is a disease that includes four symptoms:

Craving: A strong need, or compulsion, to drink
Loss of control: The inability to limit one's drinking on any given occasion
Physical dependence: Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness and anxiety, occur when alcohol use is stopped after a period of heavy drinking
Tolerance: The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol in order to "get high"
Many scientific studies have shown that genetic factors influence alcoholism, and that children of alcoholics are about four times more likely than the general population to develop alcohol problems. They also have a higher risk for many other behavioural and emotional problems.

 

But alcoholism is not only determined by the genes you inherit from your parents. In fact, more than one-half of all children of alcoholics do not become alcoholic. Research shows that many factors influence your risk of developing alcoholism. Some factors raise the risk while others lower it.

 

Genes are not the only things children inherit from their parents. How parents act and how they treat each other and their children, has an influence on children growing up in the family. These aspects of family life also affect the risk for alcoholism. Researchers believe a person's risk increases if he or she is in a family with the following difficulties:

An alcoholic parent who is depressed or has other psychological problems
Both parents abuse alcohol and/or other drugs
The parents' alcohol abuse is severe
Conflicts lead to aggression and violence in the family
The good news is that many children from even the most troubled families do not develop drinking problems. Just as a family history of alcoholism does not guarantee you will become an alcoholic, neither does growing up in a very troubled household with alcoholic parents. The risk is higher, but it doesn't have to happen.

 

If you're worried that your family history of alcohol problems or troubled family life puts you at risk for becoming alcoholic, here is some common-sense advice to help you:

Avoid underage drinking. Firstly, it's illegal and secondly, research shows that the risk for alcoholism is higher among people who begin to drink at an early age, perhaps as a result of both environmental and genetic factors
Drink moderately as an adult. Even without a family history of alcoholism, adults who choose to drink alcohol should do so in moderation. This means no more than one drink a day for most women, and no more than two drinks a day for most men. Some people shouldn't drink at all, including women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, recovering alcoholics, people who plan to drive or engage in other activities that require attention or skill, people taking certain medications, and people with certain medical conditions.
People with a family history of alcoholism, who have a higher risk for becoming dependent on alcohol, should approach moderate drinking carefully. Maintaining moderate drinking habits may be harder for them than for people without a family history of drinking problems.
Once a person moves from moderate to heavier drinking, the risks of social problems (drinking and driving, violence, trauma) and medical problems (liver disease, brain damage, cancer) increase greatly

Talk to a health care professional. Discuss your concerns with a doctor, nurse, nurse practitioner or other health care provider. They can recommend groups or organisations that could help you avoid alcohol problems. If you are an adult who drinks, a health care professional can assess your drinking habits to see if you need to cut back on your drinking and advise you about how to do that
Be aware of the risks of alcohol and be sensible about your drinking. If you think you are on a slippery slope, get help before you find yourself in a dark hole.