Makes Sense

One of the symptoms we can look for in a person who may have a problem with alcohol is called low level of response (LR) Here was some information I came across last week.

A person's high or low response to alcohol says much about their risk for alcoholism
From Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Eurekalert May 22, 2009

Someone who has a low level of response (LR) to alcohol, meaning relatively little reaction to alcohol, has a higher risk for developing alcohol-use disorders (AUDs). A study that examined the influence of LR in conjunction with other characteristics - like family history of AUDs and age of drinking onset - has found that LR is a unique risk factor for AUDs across adulthood and is not simply a reflection of a broader range of risk factors.

Results will be published in the September issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.

"If a person needs more alcohol to get a certain effect, that person tends to drink more each time they imbibe," explained Marc A. Schuckit, director of the Alcohol Research Center, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, and corresponding author for the study.

See the full release at: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-05/ace-aph051509.php

Now on one hand that sounds like a no-brainer. The more alcohol you need to have an effect on you (get a buzz, get wasted, get drunk, etc.) the more likely you are to become an alcoholic. Surprisingly, many people think the other way around. If you easily get drunk, they think, you are having problems with alcohol. In fact many alcoholics I have known will tell you that the first time they drank they had a "high tolerance" or low response to alcohol. A major warning sign of potential future problems.

We also tend to think that a person who can "hold their alcohol" is somehow bigger, better, more in control. Again, the reality is the opposite. If a person can drink everyone else under the table and does it regularly, they are in danger of alcohol problems.

It only makes sense, actually. Alcohol is an addictive substance. The more you drink the more likely you are to become "dependent" on it. Your body will build a tolerance so that you then want more to get the feeling you're looking for, which adds to the tolerance, etc. etc. What we have been learning about alcohol use and its effects on the body over the past 25 years is truly astounding. It's not about will-power. It truly is a physical response in many people.