Understanding Alcohol Addiction

Why Are Some People More Prone to Alcohol Addiction?

A recent study by researchers in Sweden and the United States looked at why some people become addicted to alcohol and others are able to consume it without issue.  The study originally published in Science and discussed in detail on Medical News Today was conducted on rats.  The rats were given a choice between alcohol and a “high-value alternative.”  The rats that still chose alcohol over the high-value alternative were found to have an “impaired GABA clearance in the central amygdala.”  In other words, a “faulty signaling mechanism” in the brain could be a reason a minority of people are more prone to alcohol addiction.

The study is one of many that deals with how the brain processes alcohol and why it is an addictive substance for some and not others.  Researchers hope that the more they can understand about the brain and how it interacts with alcohol the more they will be able to help those who face addiction.  In addition, researchers have begun to look beyond simple interactions between the brain and a drug and more at the group of people that is most prone to addiction.  This new study suggests that if we can develop a way to correct the faulty signaling mechanism, we can make people less vulnerable to addiction.  The more we understand addiction, the better we will become at treating it and addressing potential problems as early as possible.