While genetics continues to be a key focus into why certain people develop alcoholism while others do not, a new study examines the reality that genes play in a person’s risk for alcoholism. This research highlights genetic pathways and those genes associated with levels of alcohol consumption but not with alcohol dependence in rats and humans.

Science Daily recently examined the findings of this study, led by Boris Tabakoff, Laura Saba and Paula Hoffman from the University of Colorado, Denver, USA. This team found that the drinking behavior among the rats was linked to the pleasure and reward pathways in the brain and also linked to some of the same genetic systems that are involved in control satiety and appetite for food.

The next step involved comparing the genes related to these alcohol-associated pathways in rats with the human versions of these genes in two male study groups from Montreal and Sydney. The goal was to identify common genetic factors linked to alcohol use across species.

One of the key findings in this study was that the genes identified as contributors to drinking behavior in the tested populations were not the same as those genes found to predispose to alcohol dependence. In other words, the genetics that lead you to drink are not the same ones that can lead to alcoholism.

According to Tabakoff, “We know that high levels of alcohol consumption can increase the risk of becoming alcohol dependent in those who have a genetic make up that predisposes to dependence. This is a case of interaction between genes and environment. Indeed, in our study we found that, higher alcohol consumption in humans was positively correlated with alcohol dependence…individuals with a genetic predisposition to drink high amounts of alcohol may not have the genes that predispose them to become dependent.”

For those who may or may not be at a higher risk for dependence, the message is clear – the amount and frequency of alcohol consumed has more to do with developing dependence.