Guyver

My father was a full blown alcoholic during his day, he would beg on the streets for money and be extremely violent with drink in him, to the point I think he may of actually killed someone but was never caught for it.. one day he decided enough was enough - threw a wine bottle away and quit cold turkey and turned himself around to where he was super healthy and was doing 400 pushups every morning.

My mothers side liked their drink, not to the extent of being full blown alcoholic but anything like a funeral, party or social event was an excuse for drink and sometimes I found myself as a young child walking with my drunken mother at 3am down a dark scary road as she made her way from the pub back home while half drunk - it scared me.

I avoided drink as a teenanger and started when I was 19 years old when my father had a mild heart attack, I decided with him gone I could explore the world of drinking without his interference in stopping me(he thought I might be as dangerous as he was while drinking so constantly talked against it).

Needless to say I fell into the trap of Alcohol when my father died not too long ago and due to having no experience with it even during my teens I was completely out of control.. you know the story - trouble with the law, doing things you regret etc

I am still wrestling with it and have daily stress which encourages my drinking but I am moving house soon and I am hoping removing myself from a severely troubled situation will mean I won't feel the need to turn to drink to get relief.

One thing I will say this forum is the most supportive. friendly and caring one I have ever found online and I have been on the internet for over a decade and a half, I would be proud to call most of you friends in real life if we ever met.

I wish you all the best in battling this demon and I know we eventually will all prevail, the vast majority of us are good people and we deserve better

LexieCat

Yeah, we ARE a pretty awesome bunch, aren't we?

And let's not forget the terrific moderators who keep this a friendly and safe place to post.

Oh, and to answer your question--nope, I didn't inherit it. I'm the only alcoholic (and the only smoker) in my family, including the extended family. I figure I'm just a mutant.

bnmbh

I liked your post.. I myself come from a alcoholic family on both side.. Im struggling pretty bad right now but hopeful my friend we will all beat these and lead the lives we deserve.. Best wishes

Wishful78

Definitely know I inherited it. Pops loved to party and still falls off once in a while to this day. He is a million times better. He only messed up and makes things uncomfortable once in a blue moon. And at times I have had to deal with it and almost be the parent by myself. I have partied with him and had a blast. I have also partied with him and its been an absolute disaster. An embarrassing uncomfortable mess. And even after that uncomfortable feeling and dealing with it I have still gone out and created my own messes. But needless to say the behavior problem of every time I drink in excess its a gamble just like my dad. And the want to drink in excess mite be once a week or once a month or even once a year. But when It happens the dice is rolled and I could be a black out jack ass.

paul99

I inherited dark hair, brown eyes and chunky thighs (thanks, dad).

Alcoholism? That had nothing to do with my folks or my lineage. I am the only one in the family who is an alcoholic. I hope I am the last.

BillyWeaver

Perhaps

I know "they" say it can be genetic. My mother was a full blown alcoholic, lived on the streets and eventually died from alcoholic liver disease.

4 out of my 6 uncles are/were addicts.

CBR

My father gave me his sense of humor and the booze gene. 3 generations of drunks. Ya think I would have learned. But as we all said, oh ill never be as bad as Dad. True. I was 10 times worse.

mfsteve1

Nope. I made my own mistakes.

Nevertheless

I think I inherited mine. My dad and grand dad both had drinking problems.

Fred

caboblanco

I don't think it's proven that there is a genetic connection to alcoholism. What might happen is being raised by an alcoholic might affect a person. My father liked to drink but I wouldn't call him an alcoholic

BruceJ

There has been a lot of research into this and the short version is that....there is a gene that seems to provide a propensity to become alcoholic. It is more prominent in some ethnic groups. However, it's presence/absence doesn't mean that a person will become one. There are many more factors.
My father, a carpenter, bought a 6-pack of Bud on Friday evenings after work. It lasted him all week. I don't believe I ever saw him have over one a day.....no alcoholism or drug issues with my brother or sister. Apparently, his father didn't have a problem either....just a moderate social drinker. On my mother's side, there seems to be even less prevelance of drinkers.
So, no, I probably didn't inherit my alcoholism. I'm a self-made drunk

TrixMixer

Hi Guyver,

Interesting answers. I was always under the impression there was a "genetic component" to alcoholism. So you may inherit the genetic propensity to drink.
In that case your immediate family( parents, grandparents) may not have had some other genetic component when in combination causes that gene to be triggered, perhaps it goes farther back in lineage?

Anyway the genetic component has to start somewhere, right. So on the other hand no one prior to you had that genetic predisposition, but now--LUCKY you!

Grymt

Sorta. One of my major last bust happened because my dad died with me not having seen him for 9 years and I didn't have the time to talk to him. My initial inheritance gave me the money to set myself up for the last big streak of progressively worse busts that finally broke something in me and I was finally able to proceed on towards a proper recovery path.

robgt350

i inherited blue eyes blond hair, no need to drink alcohol

flutter

Both of my parents are recovered alcoholics. I don't feel as though I inherited it genetically as much as I feel I learned it by living with it my whole life.

wheresthefun

I'm quite certain I am genetically predisposed to the issue at hand, but fact is, I picked up the ball and ran with it.

oinobares

I may have inherited some genetic proclivity. There are some heavy drinkers in my family. I believe however that my addiction was something I created in myself by the absolute freedom and lack of restraint I prided myself on regarding alcohol. I drank as much as I wanted, whenever I felt like it, sometimes challenging myself to build my tolerance like I was exercising a muscle. I set no limits at all, had no respect for the bottle, and clearly thought at some level I was immune to becoming an alcoholic. Not sure why it was unclear to me that in the long run this could lead to dependency, but perhaps it is just a matter of hubris and god-complex. I even recall having a somewhat devil-may-care, Faustian attitude--like bring on the punishment, I can handle it. Ego and and a total lack of self-care. From another perspective, I tried to become the best self-abuser I could possibly be, and my weapon of choice was booze. My problem is definitely rooted in my psychology, and most of that is a matter of history and biography, not nature. (In my humble opinion! )

robgt350

i think if we accept that,, then some people will make the excuse that i am innocent of murder cause i have relatives in my gene line who did the same, so it is in my genes. so do not deserve to go to prison! Blame genetics not me!!!!

wheresthefun

You're kidding... right?

TrixMixer

Not necessarily, rob. In reference to your case above: It is like the person was born with a gun in his hand---he is still guilty of pulling the trigger.

My grandfather was a raging alcoholic. My mom, having lived with that behavior, chose not to drink (pull the trigger), she never touched the stuff. I grew up with no drinking by my parents and still turned into my grandfather--I just chose to use the trigger gene--does that make sense or not? Could be my faulty thinking, after all I am a Questionable pink and purple stripped cat.