The History of Alcoholism in a Marriage
Wendy was concerned about becoming an alcoholic before she even picked up a drink. Both her father and mother were alcoholics. Her mother had died from the disease and her father was in a recovery program but having limited success. When Wendy married Shane, she was concerned he might have a problem as well, since his father was a heavy drinker. The first question she asked the marriage counselor was, “Is alcoholism genetic?”
The counselor told her that there are some possible correlations:
There is a growing body of scientific evidence that alcoholism has a genetic component, but the actual gene that may cause it has yet to be identified.
Studies of laboratory animals as well as human test subjects indicate that genetic factors play a major role in the development of alcoholism, but just how much a factor remains undetermined.
Children of alcoholics are four times more likely than other children to become alcoholics, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, but environmental factors could be a factor in many of those cases.
Both Shane and Wendy found this information helpful but had to explore their own relationship with alcohol before making decisions about drinking in the context of their marriage. Wendy began to realize her oversensitivity was based on never really working on the stress and emotional strain her parent’s drinking took on her. She began to attend Alanon meetings, in addition to couple’s counseling. Shane attended a few with her as well. Shane continued to drink socially and moderately and Wendy began a long path or awareness regarding her own personal history and alcohol.
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