From the ArcaMax Publishing, Parents Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/parents/s-345452-302520
NIJMEGEN, Netherlands (UPI) -- A Dutch study of twins finds a genetic
link to early alcoholism, but also notes the role of environmental
factors after drinking begins.
The study -- published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
-- found genetic factors were most important for variation in early
initiation of alcohol use, while common environmental factors
explained most of the variation in frequency of drinking once alcohol
use had been initiated.
"This study shows that genetic factors are also involved in early
initiation and that is a new perspective," study leader Evelien A. P.
Poelen of Radboud University Nijmegen said in a statement. "A lot of
studies examining alcohol use in adolescents have focused on several
social factors in alcohol use, for example, the influence of friends
and parents, while genetic factors have often been neglected. We
thought both factors should be taken into account simultaneously."
The study was based on data collected through the Netherlands Twin
Register that identified almost 700 twin pairs -- 12 to 15 years old
between l993 to 2000. Initiation and frequency of drinking was
compared in fraternal vs. identical twins as a function of three
influences -- genetic effects, common environmental effects and unique
environmental effects.