How come some people have problems with alcohol and others don't ?
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18

How come some people have problems with alcohol and others don’t?

That’s not any easy question. There are a lot of things that can come into play.

Some people inherit GENES for alcohol addiction
from their parents, kind of like genes for
disease or diabetes ... or brown eyes or red hair.
Scientists think that genes can only explain
part of the problem. Even the way genes
work depends on stuff that happens around you ... that happens to the
people, places, and things in your environment.

Some people have PERSONALITY TRAITS that can make problems with
alcohol more likely. For example, some people like to act spontaneously.
And when people act without first thinking things through, they’re more
likely to take risks and make unsafe (even dangerous!) choices. Other people
may be shy and use alcohol to try to feel brave. (That’s not a good idea either!)

Also, different kinds of FAMILY PROBLEMS can play a part. Kids can learn how to misuse alcohol from their parents, or they can use alcohol to try to escape from bad situations at home.

Additionally, kids that have FRIENDS THAT DRINK are more likely to drink themselves. (See pages 10 and 12 in this lesson for information about "Self Pressure." See the Decision-Making lesson for good ideas on how to handle "Peer Pressure").

The NEIGHBORHOODS people live in seem to add
to drinking problems too. Scientists have found, for
example, that very poor neighborhoods and those
that are in high-crime areas tend to have more
alcohol-related problems, like fights and accidents.
Neighborhoods that have lots of bars and liquor
stores (and other places that sell alcohol) have
similar problems. — If you think about it, it makes
sense. The easier it is to get something, the more
likely people are to buy more of it!

That’s why raising the price of alcohol (through increased taxes, for example), limiting the days and hours that stores and bars are open, and keeping bars and stores from being too close together have been shown to help cut down on the amount of alcohol-related problems. All of these are examples of
“Environmental Strategies” that have been demonstrated to work.

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