Causes of Alcoholism | Etiology of Alcoholism | Factors leading to Alcholosim

Causes of alcoholism:

Etiology or Causes of alcoholism:

There are several factors that have been pointed out.

Genetic factors
- In this cases of alcoholism the exact mode of inheritance is not known.
Biochemical factors
- Deficiency of or abnormalities in alcohol dehydrogenase has been implicated as a possible etiological mechanism for alcoholism.
Learning factors
- E.g. Relief of withdrawal symptoms by ingestion of a drug may act as a re-inforcer for further dependence on the drug.
Personality factors
- Many alcohol and drug users appear to have some degree of an underlying personality disorder. A number of them possess self-indulgent tendencies or sense of inferiority which makes them incapable to face stresses of daily life.
Psychiatric disorder
- Many alcoholics or drug users report symptoms of anxiety and depression. It is seldom clear that these are the causes or consequences of drug dependence.
Social factors:

Many alcohol abusers come from disorganized backgrounds. A history of unhappy or traumatic experiences during childhood is common.
Pressures from friends to take alcohol so as to gain acceptance by a peer group is common.
Risk of alcohol and drug dependence is greater in societies with ambiguous or ambivalent attitude towards these substances.

One may resort to alcohol consumption due to any one or a combination of the parameters mentioned above.

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