Originally Posted by Rowan

I was raised in a home where the 'isms' of alcoholism were present, while one or both parents 'may' have drank alcoholically. I've learned that alcoholism is genetic, and that alcohol in and of itself does not need to be a factor.

Many mood disorders and mental illness' are also genetic. There is a history of both alcoholism and mental illness in my family - it seems I won the jackpot.