Term paper on Alcoholism

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The Connection Between Diet And Cancer
Cancer is a disease that can affect many different body parts. But no matter which body part is affected, cancer always involves cells that, due to various causes, go through genetic changes such that they start to proliferate wildly. In most forms of cancer the expanding masses of cells form tumors

The Protagonist Ofthe Witch Of The Blackbird Pond
The Witch of Blackbird Pond; Elizabeth George Speare; Fiction; 223pgs; 1958 The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Spear is about Kit Tyler, a young woman, living in the time period of 1687. Kit is left without a family in Barbados and she has no choice but to travel to her only relativ

Since ancient times, observers have noted that alcoholism is passed from one generation to the next. More recently, family studies have noted that first-degree relatives of alcoholics are seven times more likely to have alcoholism than first-degree relatives of non-alcoholics. An estimated 20-25% of sons and brothers of alcoholics become alcoholic, and 5% of the daughters and sisters. These observations raise the issue of nature versus nurture in the development of alcoholism. Does the higher risk of alcohol problems in relatives of alcoholics result from a common environment, or from shared genes? Most researchers believe the influences of both genes and environment combine to determine alcoholism risk.

Until recently, research on alcoholism in families has focused on environmental factors, such as how family members interact with one another or the influence of peer pressure on the development of drinking problems. Sociologists have focused on how economic status or availability and taxation of alcohol affect prevalence of drinking problems. Until recently, genetic analysis has been limited to disorders that were known to be primarily biologically based, such as sickle-cell disease and cystic fibrosis.

It has been nearly impossible to find genes for conditions such as alcoholism, which manifests differently among people and is caused by both environmental and genetic factors. Technological advances in the past several years, however, have allowed scientists to study these so-called "complex traits." With these new methods, genes that lead to diabetes and asthma have been identified and there is optimism that similar approaches can now be applied to alcoholism and other addictions.

It is known, for example, that being able to drink more alcohol than others to begin with (high tolerance) increases a person's risk for having an alcohol problem later. It could be that one or more genes influence this kind of tolerance. In addition, genetic approaches can help identify new, previously unappreciated, biological influences. Such findings could...