 |
|
Personality and parents' alcoholism interact to influence a person's risk of becoming an alcoholic
June 26, 2006Personality and parental alcoholism interact to influence an individual's risk of becoming an alcoholic
- New findings show that interaction between a personality trait called "novelty seeking" and parental alcoholism can both increase risk of, and protect against, developing individual alcoholism.
- High novelty seeking is a strong risk factor for alcoholism among children of alcoholics (COAs).
- Low novelty seeking appears to protect against the risk of developing alcoholism among COAs.
"Disinhibitory personality traits" refer to risk-taking, exploratory, thrill-seeking and sometimes impulsive personality characteristics. Children, especially boys, who exhibit these characteristics have a high likelihood of becoming alcoholics as adults. Recent findings indicate that this risk is further enhanced if these children have an alcoholic parent.
Results are published in the July issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
"Novelty seeking is not in and of itself a dangerous thing," said Richard A. Grucza, an epidemiologist at Washington University School of Medicine. "Lance Armstrong is a good example of somebody with high novelty seeking. He was seriously injured in a bike accident in high school. Somebody more risk averse or less enamored of the thrill of speed probably would have focused on running or swimming after that. But obviously, he is someone who has channeled these tendencies in non-destructive ways." Grucza is the study's corresponding author.
"Although familial alcoholism has long been known to increase the risk of alcoholism in offspring, the risk is not 100 percent," added Kevin Conway, associate director of the Division of Clinical Neuroscience and Behavioral Research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "This indicates that family history by itself is only one of many variables in the 'equation' predicting alcoholism. Some variables increase the probability of alcoholism in offspring, such as exposure to heavy drinking, or antisocial behavior in parents or offspring, whereas others decrease this risk, such as warm parent-child relationships and certain forms of the alcohol dehydrogenase gene. This study suggests that an individual's personality influences how he or she responds to familial liability to alcoholism."
Researchers analyzed data gathered as part of the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism — a multi-site family study — from 1,111 adult siblings of patients seeking treatment for alcoholism. Researchers also established diagnoses of alcohol dependence and personality scores of novelty seeking for the patients' parents.
"Our key finding is the interaction between novelty seeking and parental alcoholism," said Grucza. "Although high novelty seeking is a risk factor by itself, it is a much more important risk factor for individuals with an alcoholic parent. High novelty seeking seems to amplify the risk associated with being from an alcoholic family, and vice versa: having a parent with alcoholism amplifies the risk associated with high novelty seeking."
However, he added, this interaction works both ways. "While high novelty seeking amplifies the risk associated with parental alcoholism, low novelty seeking may diminish it," he said. "People with an alcoholic parent who are low in novelty seeking may be at lower risk than normally expected."
Grucza added that he and his colleagues were surprised by the dual direction of the relationship between novelty seeking and parental alcoholism and the influence this might have on an individual developing alcoholism him or herself.
"Because alcoholism and novelty seeking run in families, and because novelty seeking is a risk factor for alcoholism, it has generally been assumed that novelty seeking is simply a risk factor that runs in families," he said. "What we found was more complicated familial patterns than initially expected."
Conway agrees. "Although the notion of an 'addictive personality' has been largely rejected," he said, "it remains fruitful to identify personality traits that predict addiction to substances, as identification of certain maladaptive personality traits may inform etiology, prevention and intervention."
"Some rethinking of the relation between personality and addiction may be in order," added Grucza. "Rather than thinking about an 'addictive personality,' it is important to think about how personality might influence a person's response to other genetic and environmental risk factors. For example, in a family with parental alcoholism, not all children are at equal levels of risk kids with high novelty seeking may be at much greater risk, and kids with low novelty seeking may not be at as high of a risk as originally thought."
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
- Low novelty seeking appears to protect against the risk of developing alcoholism among COAs.
"Disinhibitory personality traits" refer to risk-taking, exploratory, thrill-seeking and sometimes impulsive personality characteristics. Children, especially boys, who exhibit these characteristics have a high likelihood of becoming alcoholics as adults. Recent findings indicate that this risk is further enhanced if these children have an alcoholic parent.
Results are published in the July issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
"Novelty seeking is not in and of itself a dangerous thing," said Richard A. Grucza, an epidemiologist at Washington University School of Medicine. "Lance Armstrong is a good example of somebody with high novelty seeking. He was seriously injured in a bike accident in high school. Somebody more risk averse or less enamored of the thrill of speed probably would have focused on running or swimming after that. But obviously, he is someone who has channeled these tendencies in non-destructive ways." Grucza is the study's corresponding author.
"Although familial alcoholism has long been known to increase the risk of alcoholism in offspring, the risk is not 100 percent," added Kevin Conway, associate director of the Division of Clinical Neuroscience and Behavioral Research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "This indicates that family history by itself is only one of many variables in the 'equation' predicting alcoholism. Some variables increase the probability of alcoholism in offspring, such as exposure to heavy drinking, or antisocial behavior in parents or offspring, whereas others decrease this risk, such as warm parent-child relationships and certain forms of the alcohol dehydrogenase gene. This study suggests that an individual's personality influences how he or she responds to familial liability to alcoholism."
Researchers analyzed data gathered as part of the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism — a multi-site family study — from 1,111 adult siblings of patients seeking treatment for alcoholism. Researchers also established diagnoses of alcohol dependence and personality scores of novelty seeking for the patients' parents.
"Our key finding is the interaction between novelty seeking and parental alcoholism," said Grucza. "Although high novelty seeking is a risk factor by itself, it is a much more important risk factor for individuals with an alcoholic parent. High novelty seeking seems to amplify the risk associated with being from an alcoholic family, and vice versa: having a parent with alcoholism amplifies the risk associated with high novelty seeking."
However, he added, this interaction works both ways. "While high novelty seeking amplifies the risk associated with parental alcoholism, low novelty seeking may diminish it," he said. "People with an alcoholic parent who are low in novelty seeking may be at lower risk than normally expected."
Grucza added that he and his colleagues were surprised by the dual direction of the relationship between novelty seeking and parental alcoholism and the influence this might have on an individual developing alcoholism him or herself.
"Because alcoholism and novelty seeking run in families, and because novelty seeking is a risk factor for alcoholism, it has generally been assumed that novelty seeking is simply a risk factor that runs in families," he said. "What we found was more complicated familial patterns than initially expected."
Conway agrees. "Although the notion of an 'addictive personality' has been largely rejected," he said, "it remains fruitful to identify personality traits that predict addiction to substances, as identification of certain maladaptive personality traits may inform etiology, prevention and intervention."
"Some rethinking of the relation between personality and addiction may be in order," added Grucza. "Rather than thinking about an 'addictive personality,' it is important to think about how personality might influence a person's response to other genetic and environmental risk factors. For example, in a family with parental alcoholism, not all children are at equal levels of risk kids with high novelty seeking may be at much greater risk, and kids with low novelty seeking may not be at as high of a risk as originally thought."
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Alcoholism Current Events and Alcoholism News RSSScripps team shows diet switching can activate brain's stress system, lead to 'withdrawal' symptoms
In research that sheds light on the perils of yo-yo dieting and repeated bouts of sugar-bingeing, researchers from The Scripps Research Institute have shown in animal models that cycling between periods of eating sweet and regular-tasting food can activate the brain's stress system and generate overeating, anxiety, and withdrawal-like symptoms.
Drunken fruit flies help scientists find potential drug target for alcoholism
A group of drunken fruit flies have helped researchers from North Carolina State and Boston universities identify entire networks of genes-also present in humans-that play a key role in alcohol drinking behavior.
Pitt, US Army team designs new strategy to find drugs to treat neglected infection
Using an unconventional approach that they designed, University of Pittsburgh drug discoverers and their collaborators at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research have identified compounds that hold promise for treating leishmaniasis, a parasitic infection that many consider one of the world's most overlooked diseases.
Alcohol activates cellular changes that make tumor cells spread
Alcohol consumption has long been linked to cancer and its spread, but the underlying mechanism has never been clear.
Taking medicine for HIV proves hard to swallow for many people
Highly active antiretroviral therapy has increased the longevity and quality of life for people living with human immunodeficiency virus. But it requires strict adherence in taking the medicine, something that is extremely difficult for many individuals to do.
Alcohol Tolerance Switch Found in Fruit Flies
Researchers at North Carolina State University have found a genetic "switch" in fruit flies that plays an important role in making flies more tolerant to alcohol.
Alcoholism's effect on sleep persists during long periods of sobriety
A study in the Oct.1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that long-term alcoholism affects sleep even after long periods of abstinence, and the pattern of this effect is similar in both men and women.
New ways to predict violent behavior?
In the future, diagnosing severe personality disorders, evaluating the childhood environment, assessing alcohol consumption and the analysis of the MAOA genotype may provide more accurate means for assessing risk among violent offenders, according to the Finnish research carried out jointly at the University of Helsinki and the Helsinki University Central Hospital Psychiatry Centre.
Young age at first drink may affect genes and risk for alcoholism
The age at which a person takes a first drink may influence genes linked to alcoholism, making the youngest drinkers the most susceptible to severe problems.
Penn State College of Medicine research isolates liver cancer stem cells prior to tumor formation
Penn State College of Medicine researchers, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Southern California, have taken an important step in understanding the role of stem cells in development of liver cancer.
More Alcoholism Current Events and Alcoholism News Articles
 |
The Cure for Alcoholism: Drink Your Way Sober Without Willpower, Abstinence or Discomfort by Roy Eskapa PhD (Author), David Sinclair PhD (Foreword) Introducing a revolutionary solution to alcohol dependence, this study outlines the Sinclair Method, a treatment that combines the prescription medication Naltrexone and the continued consumption of alcohol. Already well known in many parts of Europe, this breakthrough remedy will bring relief to the millions who suffer from addiction or to those who are affected by someone else’s. Topics covered include the hard evidence behind the treatment, moving testimonials from cured alcoholics, interviews from clinics that have adopted the method, and details about Naltrexone. |
 |
Beyond the Influence: Understanding and Defeating Alcoholism by Katherine Ketcham (Author), William F. Asbury (Author), Mel Schulstad (Author), Arthur P. Ciaramicoli (Author) This invaluable work will contribute much to the battle against our number one disease." --from the Foreword by George McGovern, former senator and author of Terry: My Daughter's Life-and-Death Struggle with Alcoholism Alcoholism is a disease. It's time we started treating it like one. Science has offered undisputed proof that alcoholism is a disease rather than a weakness of character, yet millions of alcoholics continue to suffer due to inappropriate treatment. Now the co-author of the modern classic Under the Influence has teamed up with prominent alcoholism experts to provide new answers to this national epidemic. Based on the latest scientific research, Beyond the Influence clearly explains the neurological nature of the disease and reveals why some people... |
 |
Understanding the Alcoholic's Mind: The Nature of Craving and How to Control It by Arnold M. Ludwig (Author) In this groundbreaking book, Arnold M. Ludwig--a doctor with over twenty-five years of experience working with alcoholics--penetrates the minds of alcoholics in order to explain the behaviors and thought processes they use to get and stay sober. He has worked with over one thousand alcoholics from all walks of life and within many different settings, including hospital clinics, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, detoxification centers, and private homes. Using clinical vignettes, research findings, and personal anecdotes, he documents the basic principles necessary for conquering craving and achieving recovery. |
 |
My Way Out: One Woman's Remarkable Journey in Overcoming Her Drinking Problem and How Her Innovative Program Can Help You or Someone You Love by Roberta Jewell (Author) Research indicates one out of 13 Americans suffers a drinking problem and four problem drinkers exist for every "hard core alcoholic". It is one of our country’s most significant health issues and a pervasive secret epidemic. Those affected are desperate for help but do not fit the alcoholic profile. So instead of seeking help, they suffer in silence. In My Way Out, Jewell describes her history as a highly functional alcoholic and her decades of research in battling her addiction. Written in collaboration with Dr. Linda Garcia, MD, the search ultimately led her to develop a program calling upon experts in multiple fields. Jewell’s therapy is based upon a 2002 double blind study published in The Lancet, a highly esteemed British medical journal, which reported results of... |
 |
Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp (Author) A journalist describes her twenty years as a functioning alcoholic, explaining how she used alcohol to escape the realities of life and personal relationships, until a series of personal crises forced her to confront her problem. Reprint. 90,000 first printing." |
 |
Under the Influence: A Guide to the Myths and Realities of Alcoholism by James Robert Milam (Author), Katherine Ketcham (Author) Ten of millions Americans suffer from alcoholism, yet most people still wrongly believe that alcoholism is a psychological or moral problem, and that it can be cured by psychotherapy or sheer will power. Based on groundbreaking scientific research, Under The Influence examine the physical factors that set alcoholics and non-alcoholics apart, and suggests a bold, stigma-free way of understanding and treating the alcoholic. How to tell if someone you know is an alcoholic. The progressive stages of alcoholism. How to get an alcoholic into treatment -- and how to choose a treatment program. Why frequently prescribed drugs can be dangerous -- even fatal -- for alcoholics. How to ensure a lasting recovery. |
 |
Seven Weeks to Sobriety: The Proven Program to Fight Alcoholism through Nutrition by Joan Mathews Larson (Author) "Comprehensive, rational and personal. It suppplies much of what is missing in traditional approaches to alcoholic rehabilitation. I believe that this book can save lives." Leo Galland, M.D. Open this book and you will embark on a groundbreaking seven-week journey that will change your life. You will learn how to break your addiction to alcohol and end your cravings--and do it under your own power. Here, step-by-step, is a proven, seven-week program developed by Dr. Joan Matthews Larson at the innovative Health Recovery Center in Minneapolis, that subdues your body's addictive chemistry and puts you on the path to full recovery. |
 |
THE ALCOHOLISM AND ADDICTION CURE: A Holistic Approach to Total Recovery by Chris Prentiss (Author) The breakthrough three-step program to total recovery from addiction to drugs, alcohol and addictive behaviors. Reveals the four causes of dependency and shows how to create a personalized , holistic treatment program to completely cure your dependency. |
 |
Marriage On The Rocks: Learning to Live with Yourself and an Alcoholic by Janet G. Woititz (Author) From the author of the New York Times bestseller Adult Children of Alcoholics -- an invaluable guide for women dealing with alcoholic partners. |
 |
The Easy Way to Stop Drinking by Allen Carr (Author) Carr offers a startling new view of why we drink and how we can escape the addiction. Step by step, with devastating clarity and simplicity, he applies the Easyway™ method, dispelling all the illusions that surround the subject of drinking and that can make it almost impossible to imagine a life without alcohol. Only when we step away from all these supposed pleasures and understand how we are being duped to believe we are receiving real benefits can we begin to live our lives free from any desire or need for drinking. The Easyway™ method centers on removing the psychological need to drink—while the drinker is still drinking. Following the Easyway™:• You will not need willpower• You will not feel deprived• You will lose your fear of withdrawal pangs• You will enjoy social... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |