Something everybody might find interesting.
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Ft. Collins CO.
Posts: 81
Something everybody might find interesting.
Hi all,
Well its very late and I'm very tired so I'll make this as brief as possible. But as I look over these posts I have come to realize that there are alot of people out there who seem to question why some people might become alcoholics whereas others can just be social drinkers.
One of my majors in college was Anthropology and in one course I took we discussed alcoholism and its impact on human history. The theory behind why alcoholism has developed in our species is one that I personally find very believable and makes a bunch of sense to me. So I thought I would give it to you in hopes that maybe it might help you to further understand this debilitating and dreadful illness.
Now, this is a paraphrase from several different sources and I have rephrased it heavily; so I'm hoping it dosen't break any copyright laws
-here goes.
About 10,000 years ago humans began transitioning from hunter-gather to agriculture and shortly thereafter fermentation was discovered. Some of the earliest breweries have been discovered in egypt dating back to the first settlements! Anyway, with the raise in agriculture came a more sedentary lifestyle and people began to live in massive numbers in a small confined area. They then began to domesticate animals such as goats, sheep, pigs, etc. As a result lots of waste products were being dumped in the water reservoirs. Disease proliferated, and basic water in essence became almost a death drink as it contained so much bacteria and viruses. Now, our ancestors had discovered fermentation and with this they came to realize two things one, alcoholic drinks make you feel good, and two the alcohol would help kill the deadly bacteria and viruses in the drinking supplies. Thus, suddenly alcohol became safer to drink than regular water just cause you wouldn't get sick from it. Our ancestors drank it all the time, and eventually a gene developed into our species, the gene of "alcoholism". Back then, it wasn't so much of a problem (actually might have even been slightly benefical), cause like I said alcohol was safer to drink than water. But as time progressed (and we are talking about alot of time) water purification began, and now you had water that was safer to drink. But the gene remains. So this might help to explain why some people can just be social drinkers while others turn into alcoholics.
Anyway, I would love to hear what other people think about this. To me it makes alot of sense.
Best to all.
Well its very late and I'm very tired so I'll make this as brief as possible. But as I look over these posts I have come to realize that there are alot of people out there who seem to question why some people might become alcoholics whereas others can just be social drinkers.
One of my majors in college was Anthropology and in one course I took we discussed alcoholism and its impact on human history. The theory behind why alcoholism has developed in our species is one that I personally find very believable and makes a bunch of sense to me. So I thought I would give it to you in hopes that maybe it might help you to further understand this debilitating and dreadful illness.
Now, this is a paraphrase from several different sources and I have rephrased it heavily; so I'm hoping it dosen't break any copyright laws
-here goes.About 10,000 years ago humans began transitioning from hunter-gather to agriculture and shortly thereafter fermentation was discovered. Some of the earliest breweries have been discovered in egypt dating back to the first settlements! Anyway, with the raise in agriculture came a more sedentary lifestyle and people began to live in massive numbers in a small confined area. They then began to domesticate animals such as goats, sheep, pigs, etc. As a result lots of waste products were being dumped in the water reservoirs. Disease proliferated, and basic water in essence became almost a death drink as it contained so much bacteria and viruses. Now, our ancestors had discovered fermentation and with this they came to realize two things one, alcoholic drinks make you feel good, and two the alcohol would help kill the deadly bacteria and viruses in the drinking supplies. Thus, suddenly alcohol became safer to drink than regular water just cause you wouldn't get sick from it. Our ancestors drank it all the time, and eventually a gene developed into our species, the gene of "alcoholism". Back then, it wasn't so much of a problem (actually might have even been slightly benefical), cause like I said alcohol was safer to drink than water. But as time progressed (and we are talking about alot of time) water purification began, and now you had water that was safer to drink. But the gene remains. So this might help to explain why some people can just be social drinkers while others turn into alcoholics.
Anyway, I would love to hear what other people think about this. To me it makes alot of sense.
Best to all.
Forward we go...side by side-Rest In Peace
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Serene In Dixie
Posts: 36,740
I must
say the impure water theory is news to me!
The alcoholic gene theory is not. Last I heard this has not been a proven isolated gene, but I am not up to date on alcoholism research.
I quit worrying about WHY 16 years ago and started staying in the solution.
For me... it is God and AA.
Hope you find answers that will keep you in the joy of sobriety.
The alcoholic gene theory is not. Last I heard this has not been a proven isolated gene, but I am not up to date on alcoholism research.
I quit worrying about WHY 16 years ago and started staying in the solution.
For me... it is God and AA.
Hope you find answers that will keep you in the joy of sobriety.
vitalsixthsense
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Frostburg, MD
Posts: 18
Very Interesting. I have been getting accupressure allergy treatments for 5 years now and they were albe to cure lots of my allergies, but the allergy to alcohol was not one of them. They did get my liver to detox some of the vodka smelling stuff that was there, at least that is what I smelled like after the treatment. But they said if I drank I would still black out after a couple and have a seizure. I know groupings of allergies cause alcoholism. But people have different groupings of allergies, so I bet it will be difficult to even isolate a grouping of related genes.
Been there and done.
Join Date: May 2005
Location: West Coast North America
Posts: 269
I have heard a somewhat related hypothesis:
Fermentation was common in the mediterranean far earlier than it was in western europe. Yet, today we find western europe rife with alcoholism, and fairly rare in those regions that had distillation sooner. Why? Those with the propensity toward alcoholism died out. It is a lethal gene over the course of several centuries. Alcoholics have not yet died out in Western Europe.
East Asians are perhaps saved by the fact that they have trouble metabolizing alcohol at all -- they can't convert alchol to acetaldehyde (sp?) well and must literally sweat out the booze (hence the pronounced flushing, feeling ill).
Fermentation was common in the mediterranean far earlier than it was in western europe. Yet, today we find western europe rife with alcoholism, and fairly rare in those regions that had distillation sooner. Why? Those with the propensity toward alcoholism died out. It is a lethal gene over the course of several centuries. Alcoholics have not yet died out in Western Europe.
East Asians are perhaps saved by the fact that they have trouble metabolizing alcohol at all -- they can't convert alchol to acetaldehyde (sp?) well and must literally sweat out the booze (hence the pronounced flushing, feeling ill).
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Ft. Collins CO.
Posts: 81
Originally Posted by ChampionRabbit
Is there any concrete evidence for an alcoholic gene? If not then that theory seems rather unscientific.
They have found a gene Champion. Look in the Dec. 03-Jan. 04 issue of Journal "Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research". Alternatively (something which might be lot more accesable) go onto webmd and search their archieves for it.
(sorry if there are any misspellings. I'm very tired at the moment.)
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 2,579
Originally Posted by CarolD
Last I heard this has not been a proven isolated gene, but I am not up to date on alcoholism research.
:
:
Where can I get a cup of tea?
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere in space...
Posts: 55
Originally Posted by CarolD
I quit worrying about WHY 16 years ago and started staying in the solution.
As an example of things I've done/thought; If I drink too much because it's in my family line, then I perhaps think I'm stuck with it. I fight it, but then when I WANT to get drunk because I like the feeling (initially), I convince myself that it won't get out of hand, and then mentally add, "Well... I'm going to end up drinking again one day anyway, 'cos it's in my genes".
I know now that whatever medical researchers discover, it's only me not taking a drink that will enable me to stop. Funny, it's taken me around 15 years to admit that to myself..!
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Join Date: Aug 2005
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Originally Posted by AndrewBeen
I have heard a somewhat related hypothesis:
Fermentation was common in the mediterranean far earlier than it was in western europe. Yet, today we find western europe rife with alcoholism, and fairly rare in those regions that had distillation sooner. Why? Those with the propensity toward alcoholism died out. It is a lethal gene over the course of several centuries. Alcoholics have not yet died out in Western Europe.
.
Fermentation was common in the mediterranean far earlier than it was in western europe. Yet, today we find western europe rife with alcoholism, and fairly rare in those regions that had distillation sooner. Why? Those with the propensity toward alcoholism died out. It is a lethal gene over the course of several centuries. Alcoholics have not yet died out in Western Europe.
.
Very interesting...I actually hadn't heard this idea before. However I just want to point out that you use fermentation and distillation interchangibly. They are both different procedures. Fermentation is used in Wine and beer. Distillation for hard liquor. The process of distillation wasn't actually discovered until the 13th century I believe, while the process of fermentation has been around since well... the rise of civilizations
Still, very interesting idea.
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