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Monday, November 28, 2011
Gene Impedes Alcoholism Recovery
New research from the Department of Psychology at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden shows that people who are alcohol dependent and carry a specific kind of a gene have a higher risk of premature death. Researchers that have been studying the dopamine D2 receptor gene found that a variant of this gene is common in people with alcohol dependency. This gene is linked to various negative consenquences. People who carry the variant of this gene are much more likely to die prematurely by a factor of ten compared to the normal population. The research showed that people who carried this gene also had a bigger chance to relapse as well even if that person had treatment for their alcoholism. People who carry this gene are less likely to recover from alcoholism. A way of identifying individuals with this gene could prove helpful in treating alcohol dependency.
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this really sucks, because alcohol consumption is increasing and knowing about this gene receptor could lead to caution people.
ReplyDeleteEven with being able to indentify this certain gene, I don't think it would caution many people. People addicted to alcohol are not always worried about how long they will live, they worry about when and where they can get their next drink. They will either overcome their dependency or dive right back to their addiction.
ReplyDeleteIt also raises the question as to whether or not it is too late, or whether or nor too much damage was done even if alcoholics over come the addicting habit.
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