Is alcoholism inevitable for some children of alcoholics?
Are some “born” alcoholic? No child is “born” to become alcoholic. Even children at the highest genetic risk can’t develop alcoholism if they do not drink! Should I tell my children about the risk? Absolutely. Teaching kids about their possible risk is very important and can greatly affect their future drinking decisions. For example, one study asked people if they had parents with alcoholism. Among those who said “yes” (family histories of alcoholism), few (only about one in twenty) knew they were at higher risk for alcoholism. This is scary, but on the bright side, those who did know drank much less alcohol on the average than those who didn’t. This study (and others) tells us that making children of alcoholics aware of their risk status can significantly reduce how much alcohol they drink and the less they drink the better! What do I say to my child? While it will depend on their age and level of understanding, you might say something like this: “Certain illnesses run in certain fam
