BASIC DESCRIPTION

Alcohol, although common and legal in our society, is one of the most physically damaging drugs that can be ingested.  Alcohol is a depressant so when consumed at a rate faster then one’s liver can metabolize, it begins affecting the consumer’s ability to think and slows down or impairs biological function.

Although unproven by exact science it has been widely accepted that the effects of alcohol are not the same for everyone.  So what does this mean and what do you need to know?

GENETIC VS NON-GENETIC PREDISPOSITION TO ALCOHOLISM

Individuals who are genetically predisposed to alcoholism do not experience the effects of drinking alcohol in the same way as the rest of the population.   That is why it is hard for the majority of the population to understand what an individual who cannot stop drinking is going through.  Alcoholics often describe feelings of euphoria and elation that non-alcoholic people do not experience. Being genetically pre-disposed to alcoholism is NOT necessary to becoming an alcoholic.

Alcoholism is a chronic and often progressive disease that includes problems controlling your drinking, being preoccupied with alcohol, continuing to use alcohol even when it causes problems, having to drink more to get the same effect (physical dependence), or having withdrawal symptoms when you rapidly decrease or stop drinking.

An individual whose inherent and learned psychological traits make them more susceptible to addiction can often times become alcoholic without experiencing the euphoria often described by genetically pre-disposed alcoholics.   This makes up the majority of the alcoholic population and is most effectively treated along side other addicts of all different varieties.

People often times assume that they must be the above mentioned “genetic –alcoholic” to be called an alcoholic when in fact that is a dangerous misconception.

So how do they stop?

In order to answer this question it is important to first determine whether the individual is a genetic alcoholic as mentioned above or an alcoholic who is prone to all addiction who has made alcohol his drug off choice.

Genetic Alcoholic

The population of genetic alcoholics (those who experience extreme euphoria when drinking) have been given an amazing gift that should become part of their road to recovery. This gift is Alcoholics Anonymous.  Alcoholics Anonymous is by far the most effective approach to attaining and sustaining long-term sobriety.

The “Big Book” as it’s called is like a bible for the so-called “genetic alcoholic” Many treatment centers around the country specialize in treating their patients using the “Big Book” as a roadmap or for sobriety.  The advantage to this is that AA is literally everywhere. In every city, state and country in the entire world.

Without the Alcoholic Gene

This is where things get confusing for many people.  In todays chemical dependency treatment world there is no real distinction between individuals with the “alcoholic gene” and the non-genetic alcoholic.  The reason that treatment professionals are hesitant to classify them into two different groups is because it confuses an already very desperate and sick person who needs simplicity and clarity.

The problem with categorizing them together is that often times the “Big Book” of Alcoholics Anonymous is used to treat non-genetic alcoholics and yet non-genetic alcoholics find the book to be inaccurate in describing how they actually feel or relate to the world.  As  mentioned above, the “Big Book” is almost perfect in its ability to provide a sense of truth and clarity, but was written for those individuals with the alcoholic gene.

People without the gene that causes extreme euphoria when consuming alcohol, or  non-genetic alcoholics, are typically dependent on alcohol and are still to be classified as alcoholic.  These individuals typically have strong psychological traits that make them highly susceptible to any form of chemical dependency.  A strong psychological treatment model that encourages self-awareness, mindfulness and that does not use psychotropic medications is going to be the most effective means for treating the non-genetic alcoholic.

A person who is a non-genetic alcoholic will become dependent on other substances if not treated effectively.