Alcohol use in adolescence is detrimental in many ways. Dangerous consequences of drinking alcohol by minors include fatal injuries, suicides, harassment, poor school performance, expulsion from school, and possibly permanent damage to the developing brain. Including this is fraught with an increased risk of developing alcoholic disorders in later life.
Science has long known single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the OPRM1 gene, indicating a tendency to alcoholism. However, it has recently been proven that this genetic predisposition to alcoholism is constrained by environmental factors.
A new study by American scientists examined the interaction between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the OPRM1 gene and the risk of developing alcoholic disorders in adolescents, paying particular attention to how appropriate parenting can affect this risk.
With the help of leaflets and information stands located in places of rest and in schools, the researchers recruited a group of 104 teenagers of European descent, both boys and girls, aged 12-19 years. All participants were asked to submit DNA samples for genetic analysis. In addition, in order to establish a possible diagnosis of alcohol disorders and identify measures of parental control, they were asked to answer a number of questions.
The main conclusion that scientists have made is that while genetics plays a role in the development of alcoholism among adolescents, environmental factors can significantly reduce this predisposition.
In this regard, scientists urge parents to pay closer attention to the whereabouts of their children, limit their communication with abnormally behaving peers, and also openly and constantly discuss with them the specific risks of alcohol dependence, which will help eradicate a possible problem.
