Alcohol Awareness newsletter

Alcohol Awareness
Ask yourself these questions:
} Have I ever felt I should cut down on my drinking?
} Have people annoyed me by criticizing the amount of
alcohol I consume?
} Have I ever felt guilty or bad about my drinking?
} Have I ever had a drink first thing in the morning to
steady my nerves or get rid of a hangover?
} Even one “yes” answer may be a sign of a drinking
problem. More than one “yes” makes it more likely that
your drinking is a problem.
Reach for recovery
Talk with your doctor if you’re worried about your
drinking. Alcoholism can be treated with therapy.
Sometimes medication is prescribed for withdrawal and
cravings.
Successful recovery depends on abstaining from alcohol
for the rest of your life. This sounds like a tall order, but
avoiding events with alcohol and keeping alcohol out of
your home can help. So can the support of your family
and friends as well as others who are recovering from
alcoholism.
How Genetics Can Influence Your
Risk of Drug and Alcohol Addiction
Your family history offers important insight into your risk of becoming addicted
to alcohol or other drugs.
It’s easy to think about inheriting the positive traits of
your relatives. After all, who wouldn’t want the gene that
gave Mom her perfect smile or Uncle Mike his all-star
skills on the basketball court?
But what if your dad – or his dad – lived much of his life
with an alcohol problem? Evidence shows there is a link
between genes and substance abuse. In fact, an estimated
40 percent to 60 percent of what makes a person
vulnerable to addiction is linked to genetics.
Some of these factors include:
} Mental health. Disorders such as depression raise
your risk.
} Environmental factors. Risk goes up when you’re
around others who have substance abuse problems. The
lifestyles of your parents and other family members are a
strong influence.
You might be worried that genes linked to alcoholism
may have been passed on to you. But keep in mind there
are ways you can reduce your risk.
What’s the connection?
When it comes to alcohol, research has found that some
genes affect both how much people consume and their
risk of becoming dependent on it. Other genes affect
dependence alone. Statistically, children of alcoholics are
about four times more likely than the general population
to have an alcohol problem in their lifetime.
These numbers might suggest that your fate is set if
there’s a history of drug or alcohol issues in your family.
But it isn’t. No single factor – including your genetic
makeup – determines your risk of addiction. Many things
come into play, and they often interact. In general, the
more risk factors you have, the greater the danger.
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