Researchers at Indiana University have bred a generation of mice that prefer alcohol over other beverages, go binge drinking, and consume as much alcohol as any human with the severest form of alcoholism. Previous strains of mice would prefer water above alcohol and did not get as drunk as quickly or as often. This new generation daily drinks the human equivalent of three times the legal limit allowed to legally drive a car.

The research team at the School of Science at IU/Purdue University selectively bred these mice over 40 generations before achieving this generation that mimics human alcohol consumption when it is abused. The goal of the research is to understand the toxic effect of alcohol on the brain, and to develop new therapies for the treatment of human alcoholism.

Just like humans, these mice get drunk when they consume alcohol faster than their livers can eliminate it. They can drink continuously for seven to eight hours a day in order to reach their highest levels of intoxication.

“This line of high-alcohol-seeking mice should be able to give us a better understanding of the basic brain mechanism involved in alcohol consumption as well as greater insight into the toxic effects on the brain,: said Dr. Nicholas Grahame, a professor of psychology, writing in the journal Addiction Biology.

Previous research indicated that alcoholism has a genetic as well as environmental component in humans. Some recent studies have found that children of alcoholics who were adopted have similar rates of alcoholism as their siblings reared by their biological parents. In one study from the University of Texas, 77% of the alcoholics participating had a certain gene located on chromosome 11, the “D2″ receptor gene for dopamine, a chemical tied to pleasure-seeking behavior. Only 28% of the non-alcoholics had the D2 gene. The genetics in human alcoholism may also be related to genes for depression, impulse control, and other personality traits.

Currently, there are treatments for alcoholism but it cannot be cured. Like diabetes and asthma, it is classified as a chronic, lifelong incurable disease that requires lifestyle and behavioral changes.