[quote=Rustico]This was where I drew the conclusion that we do not agree,ZK. “If your assertion was that there is no genetic component to alcoholism, then I strongly disagree. In fact, studies have shown not only that there is likely a genetic component, but they have shown which genes contribute.”
I asked you for a link. You said you would get back with one. Maybe I missed it. I have read studies that report those claims and they qualify as the type of work I am criticizing. I did not get the idea that we are agreeing,mostly because of the issue of specificity I thought you were advancing. If you were not claiming genes specific to Alcoholism, Bulimia and Anorexia,that specifically debilitates those people in those ways and not others, than we are closer to agreement.[/quote]
These are studies that point to specific genes that increase one’s predisposition to alcoholism.
But genes specific to alcoholism are irrelevant to my main argument, which is that alcoholism has a strong genetic component. Whether the constellation of genes for alcoholism (or the constellations for anorexia or bulimia) also increase one’s predisposition for other problems is irrelevant for my argument. If the genes that make it more likely that you’ll have alcoholism also make it more likely that you’ll have some other problem, that doesn’t change the fact that those genes predispose you to alcoholism.
Even if having certain personality traits (e.g. social inhibition, impulse control problems) have a genetic component, and those traits make it more likely you’ll have alcoholism, then that constitutes a genetic component for alcoholism. The genes don’t by any means have to be specific to alcoholism and not affect anything else.
