I was recently quoted by an alcohol research foundation and it went like this:

"We don't choose alcoholism, it chooses us. I was born an alcoholic and handed down generations of Irish propensity for alcohol: genetically endowed neuro-pathways made into expressways before I even picked up my first drink. Through very little experience those neuro-pathways were instantly made into superhighways following my first few drinks at age 14. Anyone who believes this is a behavioral, moral or ethical failing is simply misinformed about the disease, the brain and has no firsthand experience whatsoever. It simply defies logic that anyone would "choose" the tormenting hell of alcoholism."

This went across the desk of a highly respected researcher at one of the nation's top universities and their comment was:

"The patient is exactly correct. Large genetic studies show that at least 50-60% of the likelihood of becoming an alcoholic is determined by our genes. We know that the disease runs in families and that several, probably, many genes are involved, We know that alcohol is a drug with complex effects and that repeated use changes brain circuits making it more likely that relapse to heavy drinking will occur even after treatment. Several medications that reduce relapse have been developed and have received FDA approval, but most patients do not receive them. There is a fundamental problem in the education of physicians. Even though alcoholism is one of the most common chronic diseases all over the world, few doctors learn about it in medical school and few are aware of the availability of effective medications."

Good food for thought.

Yup, I was born that way too.

God invented whiskey to keep the Irish from ruling the world.........

No doubt, and for some the genetics is even worse, look at the rates of alcoholism among American Indians