Addiction Genes: Alcoholism

Addiction Genes: Alcoholism

Addiction Genes: Alcohol
There are many theories about the origin of Alcohol addiction. Some say that alcoholism is a mental disease in which a person may not have the psychological desire to abstain from alcohol. They drink because they want to and have no one to blame for their situation but themselves. Recent research has tied alcohol addiction to genetics. Alcoholism is said to be a disease and according to the dictionary, a disease is “a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors.” Even though alcohol addiction can be triggered by environmental factors, it is first and foremost a genetic problem which should be taken seriously and treated in a biological way.
Addiction is “an acquired, chronic relapsing disorder that begins with some experimentation and pleasurable responses and, for subgroups of individuals, is followed by preoccupation, escalation, tolerance, denial, and a series of medical, psychological, and social consequences that relate directly to the continued addictive behaviors.” (Carpenter, Heber, 2011) This definition further emphasizes the need for exposure and the cycle of lasting behaviors even with the knowledge of the consequences. This calls for a further investigation of other factors that may be responsible for encouraging this phenomenon. If it is acquired then exposure is not enough of a reason for the development of an addiction. The definition also includes that it is a chronic relapsing disorder and genetics, in addition to environmental factors is responsible for this.
Dopamine has been shown to increase motivation. When a drug is not administered, it makes addicts feel a sense of slowing down that can only be remedied by more of the drug in order for the dopamine to...