Alcoholism hereditary —American’s claim

Press, 16 May 1989, Page 15

Alcoholism hereditary —American’s claim

Research in the United States has shown alcoholism is a hereditary disease, says a director of an American agency working to prevent youth solvent abuse. Ms Fran Barton said in Christchurch that extensive research in the United States had shown that alcoholism was hereditary, which had “important implication for teenagers in at-risk homes.”

Ms Barton is a programme director of Getting Alternative Information Now (G.A.1.N.), a private agency which works with the courts, young people and their parents. Ms Barton could not say ' which particular group

had done the research into whether alcoholism was hereditary, but said the theory was widely accepted in the United States and was used in alcohol education.

In the United States up to 10 per cent of the population were alcoholics. Research had shown that young women with an alcoholic parent had a 30 to 40 per cent risk of becoming on alcoholic, while young men with similar family histories had a 50 per cent chance.

Ms Barton said the research had shown alcoholism could be passed from the mother or father to a son or daughter.

“Alcoholism from father to son is characterised especially by the

early onset of drinking at a young age such as 13, and a heavy association of minor offences and delinquency,” said Ms Barton. No predictive testing was yet available, so people who had an alcoholic parent could not go and get a test for it, said Ms Barton.

Ms Barton admitted that anyone could become addicted to alcohol without a family history of alcoholism, but warned that people with a history would be more at risk.

Ms Barton said it was a shame the New Zealand professionals she had spoken to seemed to be lacking information in the area of hereditary alcoholism.