Stress drives alcoholics' children to drink

September 24, 2011

Science Daily/University of Gothenburg

If either of your parents has a drink problem, there is a greater risk that you will consume more alcohol after stressful situations, new research from Sweden suggests.

It has long been known that alcoholics' children are 50% more likely to have a drink problem in the future, and new research from the Sahlgrenska Academy is shedding new light on this link. Carried out by researcher Anna Söderpalm Gordh, the study has been published in the most recent issue of the journal Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behaviour.

"The results show that people with parents who have a history of alcohol abuse drink more than others when exposed to stress," says Söderpalm Gordh.

This behaviour can have negative consequences in the long term. It is no secret that people who consume large quantities of alcohol every time they drink run a higher risk of developing a dependency in the future.

"If alcohol relaxes you when you're stressed, then you should try to find other ways of calming yourself down -- relaxation exercises, for example," says Söderpalm Gordh.

About Alcoholism

Alcoholism is usually divided into two categories: type I and type II. Type I is largely dependent on our genes' interaction with the environment, for example the people we socialise with or the crises in our lives, while type II involves a considerable genetic risk of developing a drink problem, irrespective of our environment.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110920075518.htm