By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
When a father is an alcoholic, are his sons likely to end up being an alcoholic too? Yes, some experts say.
According to Prof. Kim Dae-jin of Catholic University and Prof. Choi In-keun of Hallym University, there is a certain genetic predisposition that can induce alcoholism at a rate of more than 90 times that of other people. The team found that about 87 percent of alcoholics had the genetic predisposition.
Kim said the alcoholism has to do with how the body reacts to the alcohol drunk. When alcohol gets into the body, the ADH enzyme converts it into acetate. However, the team said about 25 percent of Koreans lack this enzyme, and so their bodies cannot process alcohol well. These percent can easily fall into alcoholism, Kim said.
``If there is an alcoholic person in the family and one enjoys drinking alcohol, then the chances are high that they will be addicted to alcohol,'' he added.
Of course having few glasses of alcohol about twice a week is no problem, but if you experience excessive hangovers or blackouts the day after drinking, and function poorly in normal activities, then you may consider visiting a doctor.
Here is a checklist to see how dependent you are on alcohol. If you have are genetically predisposed to alcoholism, you should take this seriously.
1. Have you ever thought you needed to stop drinking?
2. Have you ever felt bothered by people criticizing your drinking?
3. Do you feel guilty or bad about drinking?
4. Have you ever drunk alcohol to get over a hangover?
If you answered yes to two or more questions, you could be alcohol dependent. If you answered yes to one, you should consider taking other tests.
Here's another: You have to agree on both question and answer.
1. Do you think you drink as much as others do? (no)
2. Does your family complain or worry about your drinking? (yes)
3. Have you ever felt guilty about drinking? (yes)
4. Do your friend and family say your drinking habit is okay? (no)
5. Do you think you can stop drinking whenever you want to? (no)
6. Have you ever attended AA meetings to treat your alcohol dependency? (yes)
7. Have you ever had relationship trouble because of your drinking? (yes)
8. Have you ever had trouble working because of your drinking?(yes)
9. Have you ever had to take more than one days off from work because of drinking? (yes)
10. Have you ever asked for other people's help because of your drinking? (yes)
11. Have you ever been hospitalized because of your drinking? (yes)
12. Have you ever been caught drunken driving? (yes)
13. Have you ever been arrested for your misdemeanors while drunk? (Yes)
If you agree with more than three responses to the above questions, you could be an alcoholic. If two, you are highly dependent on alcohol.
Reference : Cage Audit and University of Michigan's brief audit provided by Dasarang Hospital