zk – that was another good link. This passage was what I was remembering:
One well–characterized relationship between genes and alcoholism is the result of variation in the liver enzymes that metabolize (break down) alcohol
And the way the liver processes the alcohol, you can say, contributes to the addiction.
Addiction is based in the brain. It involves memory, motivation, and emotional state. The processes involved in these aspects of brain function have thus been logical targets for the search for genes that underlie risk for alcoholism.
Rustico – I don’t want to or mean to simplify it, but I do believe that the gene is just one more thing that an alcoholic has against him. I don’t want to say the cards are stacked against him, but it is one more thing to deal with that someone without this issue wouldn’t have to worry about.
