{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Alcohol Minimalist: Mindful Drinking & Behavior Change","title":"Alcohol & Genetics","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1982,"description":"This week on the podcast, another in the \"Alcohol &\" series. \nAlcohol and Genetics \nHere are some of the facts about the connection between alcohol abuse and genetics: \n A genetic disposition to alcohol abuse does not mean a person will develop an alcohol use disorder. Less than half of the children of people with an alcohol use disorder will develop an alcohol use disorder.\nIndividuals can develop an alcohol use disorder even if they are not genetically disposed to do so. A person’s environment can strongly influence the development of an alcohol use disorder.\nThere is no gene or set of genes that puts a person at risk specifically for alcohol abuse. Rather, one possibility is that there are variations in genes that get expressed in different ways in a carrier’s body. For example, gene variations can predispose individuals to depression, which in turn can predispose them to alcohol abuse.\nKnowing which genes are involved in creating an elevated risk for an alcohol use disorder can help researchers to match treatment to genes. For instance, the addiction treatment drug naltrexone may work on specific genes. Psychotherapy may also effectively target certain genes versus others. \nJust because you come from a family of alcohol abuse it does not mean that you will abuse alcohol if you drink. \nAlcohol use disorder is progressive and anyone, regardless of their genetics, can with time and repetition become pyscholigically and then physically dependent on alcohol.  You are not genetically wired to desire alcohol more just because you are an adult child of an alcoholic...could genetics be a factor? Yes, but even if they are...they likely account for no more than 50% of your behavior.  Other external factors account for the other 50% and I’d propose that the 50% external, which is anchored in lifestyle, is even more important.\nResources mentioned:\nDrink? The New Science of Alcohol and Your Health\nDSM-V\nBuy Breaking the Bottle Legacy: How to Change Your Drinking Habits and...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/zu3PtA3XzNKb2qSH95OKvfAaoixqds182Hao41kpkws/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8wZjY5/NjVmY2Y2MGQ0NmMx/NGNiMzdiZGY0OTMz/OWQzMy5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}