Text Size
Smaller
Bigger

Can You Handle Your Liquor? Yes...Then, Watch Out, You're at Risk of Alcoholism!

posted 01:02 AM EST, Fri May 29, 2009

Young people who have a low response to alcohol (who need more to get drunk) are at a much greater risk for the lifetime development of alcove use disorders.

Young people that can hold their liquor; drinking others under the table, have a greatly increased risk of lifetime alcohol use disorders.

The more alcohol a person needs to drink to achieve an intoxication response, the more they tend to drink in a session and the greater their vulnerability to develop a lifetime alcohol use disorder (alcoholism or alcohol abuse).

Researcher Marc A. Schuckit, director of The Alcohol Research Center, of the VA San Diego Healthcare System, led a team of scientists that examined the way a person's response to alcohol affected his likelihood of developing a problem with alcohol. To do so they recruited 297 18 to 25 year old men and tested their response to alcohol. The research team then followed up with each study subject at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 year intervals.

The data collected shows a significant correlation between a low response to alcohol and the development of an alcohol use disorder later in life (after confounding variables were controlled for) and the researcher conclude that a low response to alcohol is a significant and unique predictor of alcoholism risks.

Low response to alcohol is likely one aspect of the genetic transference of alcoholism. Schuckit warns parents who suffer from alcoholism to warn their adult children that, "they are at a four-fold increased risk for alcoholism". He recommends that parents talk with their young adult children who use alcohol to find out whether they can, "drink others under the table" making sure that young people with a low response to alcohol get alerted to their elevated risks of alcohol use disorders.

 

 

Subscribe Subscribe to this topic category
Creative Commons License
Copyright Notice
We welcome republishing of our content on condition that you credit Choose Help and the respective authors. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Helpful Information
Understanding How the Alcoholic Thinks
Understanding the Insanity of Alcoholism: How the Alcoholic Thinks © Flood
One of the finest compliments I receive from recovering alcoholics is that despite the fact that I am not an alcoholic, I understand how their minds work. I have profound respect for all the old sayings in AA. Some are open to interpretation - the "insanity of our disease" is a literal statement. Read Article
Alcoholism September 21, 2012 (328)
How to End an Addiction-Damaged Relationship
Guidelines for Ending an Addiction-Destroyed Relationship © Merlijen Hoek
What do you do when the person you love gets consumed by a disease (addiction) that's beyond your control? How do we know when it's time to leave and how do you manage to adjust to life without your actively addicted partner? Read Article

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information.

Find Treatment
Browse by region »
Scan to call us
using your phone camera app