I have a friend that says; "if you shake his family tree booze bottles will fall out all over." It's unusual for there to be just one alcoholic within the history of a family. I've attended thousands of support group meetings and I can only remember one person ever saying that they could not think of someone else in their family who had a drinking problem.
Among my relatives, there are many people who have suffered from being addicted to alcohol. Addiction started with my father, then my mother, myself and my brother. The only one who didn't end up addicted to the bottle was our sister, but she isn't dead yet. She did manage to have a serious overweight problem though.
Is alcoholism a disease?
Al-anon is one leading authority on this subject. Here's what they have stated in one of their free PDF ebooks called Understanding Alcoholism:
"The American Medical Association recognizes alcoholism as a disease that can be arrested but not cured. One of the symptoms is an uncontrollable desire to drink."
Is alcoholism genetic?
Many studies have been done in relation to this question of genetics and alcoholism. Up until recent discoveries there was not an actual gene linked to alcoholism being present in relatives. Researchers at Washington University and 5 other centers have combined forces to identify a gene that is associated with alcoholism being present in families. It is now a fact that there is a common gene among alcoholics. This gene, GABRG3 was found to be repeatedly interconnected with alcoholism occurring within families.
Here are a few suggestions that can help you if you are dealing with an alcoholic in your family:
Here's the best answer I can give you, "If you don't drink alcohol, you will never be at risk of being addicted to it." If you decide to start drinking, then you are flirting with disaster. Biological and environmental research has proven that alcoholism runs in families. You know what they say; "it's better to be safe than sorry." I would just say it this way, "drink at your own risk."
I was addicted to alcohol and have been sober for many years. I will never pick up another drink as long as I live. Like I said, our family has had many alcoholics. I learned my lesson from watching one of my parents go in and out of treatment centers. They would get sober and then start drinking again, get sober and then start drinking again...When I quit, I knew that if I ever tried to drink again, I would be bound by the chains of alcohol addiction again.
Among my relatives, there are many people who have suffered from being addicted to alcohol. Addiction started with my father, then my mother, myself and my brother. The only one who didn't end up addicted to the bottle was our sister, but she isn't dead yet. She did manage to have a serious overweight problem though.
Is alcoholism a disease?
Al-anon is one leading authority on this subject. Here's what they have stated in one of their free PDF ebooks called Understanding Alcoholism:
"The American Medical Association recognizes alcoholism as a disease that can be arrested but not cured. One of the symptoms is an uncontrollable desire to drink."
Is alcoholism genetic?
Many studies have been done in relation to this question of genetics and alcoholism. Up until recent discoveries there was not an actual gene linked to alcoholism being present in relatives. Researchers at Washington University and 5 other centers have combined forces to identify a gene that is associated with alcoholism being present in families. It is now a fact that there is a common gene among alcoholics. This gene, GABRG3 was found to be repeatedly interconnected with alcoholism occurring within families.
Here are a few suggestions that can help you if you are dealing with an alcoholic in your family:
- Learn as much as you can about how alcoholism affects family members
- Get our materials available through the resource area below that can help you learn how to cope with a problem drinker
- Consider attending a few support group meetings
Here's the best answer I can give you, "If you don't drink alcohol, you will never be at risk of being addicted to it." If you decide to start drinking, then you are flirting with disaster. Biological and environmental research has proven that alcoholism runs in families. You know what they say; "it's better to be safe than sorry." I would just say it this way, "drink at your own risk."
I was addicted to alcohol and have been sober for many years. I will never pick up another drink as long as I live. Like I said, our family has had many alcoholics. I learned my lesson from watching one of my parents go in and out of treatment centers. They would get sober and then start drinking again, get sober and then start drinking again...When I quit, I knew that if I ever tried to drink again, I would be bound by the chains of alcohol addiction again.
For resources to help you deal with this type of delicate situation go here: Alcoholic Family. We have free audio lessons and an email mini-course that can help you cope with alcoholism in the family.
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