Twin babies that were adopted to different families have the same genetic/family history (from their "biological" family), but being raised in different families, have different environmental influences.
Some of the babies were raised in homes with a person addicted to alcohol (the caretaker developed alcoholism later; the adoption would not have taken place otherwise!).
Some of the babies were raised in homes with no alcoholism present.
Results: some of the adopted babies, now as grown adults, developed alcoholism; others did not.
When researchers went back, and looked at the babies who had a biological family history of alcoholism, *regardless if they were raised in the family with alcoholism or without*, were FOUR TIMES more likely to develop alcoholism!
(Of course, the adults who had grown up in an environment with alcoholism present were more at risk for developing abusive drinking behaviors or other problems, it still did not outweigh the power of the genetic factor).
How is this so? Well, we don't pass on to our kids an "addictive personality", but what we *do* pass on, through our genes, is our tolerance levels and our trigger levels. We are all born with different trigger levels...for heart disease, alcoholism, and other diseases. Adult children of alcoholics are four times more likely to develop alcoholism themselves, as they have lower trigger levels (meaning, alcoholism can develop sooner) than adult children who do not have an alcoholism in their (biological) family.
(oh--and "biological family" can be misleading, too. "Family" is defined as a close bloodline: mother, father, sister, brother or grandparent).
The important message, though: some of the babies, who did not have alcoholism from their biological family nor in their adoptive family ("environment") did develop alcoholism! There is undoubtedly an environmental component. Just as people are not "immune" from developing something like heart disease if it does not "run in their family"; they are also not immune from developing alcoholism. And, it goes without saying, that people with alcoholism in their family history are not "predestined" to develop alcoholism.
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Some interesting research has been done on twins:
Twin babies that were adopted to different families have the same genetic/family history (from their "biological" family), but being raised in different families, have different environmental influences.
Some of the babies were raised in homes with a person addicted to alcohol (the caretaker developed alcoholism later; the adoption would not have taken place otherwise!).
Some of the babies were raised in homes with no alcoholism present.
Results: some of the adopted babies, now as grown adults, developed alcoholism; others did not.
When researchers went back, and looked at the babies who had a biological family history of alcoholism, *regardless if they were raised in the family with alcoholism or without*, were FOUR TIMES more likely to develop alcoholism!
(Of course, the adults who had grown up in an environment with alcoholism present were more at risk for developing abusive drinking behaviors or other problems, it still did not outweigh the power of the genetic factor).
How is this so? Well, we don't pass on to our kids an "addictive personality", but what we *do* pass on, through our genes, is our tolerance levels and our trigger levels. We are all born with different trigger levels...for heart disease, alcoholism, and other diseases. Adult children of alcoholics are four times more likely to develop alcoholism themselves, as they have lower trigger levels (meaning, alcoholism can develop sooner) than adult children who do not have an alcoholism in their (biological) family.
(oh--and "biological family" can be misleading, too. "Family" is defined as a close bloodline: mother, father, sister, brother or grandparent).
The important message, though: some of the babies, who did not have alcoholism from their biological family nor in their adoptive family ("environment") did develop alcoholism! There is undoubtedly an environmental component. Just as people are not "immune" from developing something like heart disease if it does not "run in their family"; they are also not immune from developing alcoholism. And, it goes without saying, that people with alcoholism in their family history are not "predestined" to develop alcoholism.
(Source: PRI: Prime for Life)
March 4, 2008 - 2:16pmThis Comment
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