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American Society of Addiction Medicine
Public Policy Statement on the State of the Art in Genetics of
Addiction, with Particular Emphasis on Genetic Markers for
Alcoholism: A Joint Statement of the American Society of Addiction
Medicine and the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug
Dependence
Background
While it is clear that genetics plays an important role in the spectrum of drinking behaviors,
existing studies on alcohol dependence (alcoholism) show that it is a complex disease
involving both genetic and environmental variables. The scientific consensus at present is
that there are multiple neurotransmitters and multiple genes which influence the responses
to alcohol, the manifestations of alcohol dependence, and the risk for developing the
disease.
There currently are conflicting studies on the role of various genes. As such tests are in
the process of development, a number of serious issues should be addressed. These
include moral, ethical, and practical implications of testing, including understanding the use
of the information and the potential negative implications of such testing.
Currently, the single best predictor for risk for developing alcohol dependence is a male
with a positive (particularly multi-generational) family history of male alcoholism. A
positive genetic test for such a person would add little to help prevent the development of
the disease and could provide misleading information in those found to be negative (as
there is no good evidence they are not at increased risk). Data regarding genetic-related
increased risk for females are even more limited.
Recommendations
1. Based on the existing evidence, NCADD and ASAM conclude that a test for any
single gene cannot accurately describe the risk for developing alcohol
dependence.
2. The organizations urge a) further research on the role of individual genes as
genetic markers, and b) evaluation of the broad privacy and ethical implications
of using genetic testing as markers for alcoholism c) continuing exploration into
the role of environmental factors, including their interaction with genetic factors,
in the development of alcoholism.
Approved by the NCADD Board of Directors, April 2007
Approved by the ASAM Board of Directors, April 2007
© 2007 American Society of Addiction Medicine, Inc. and National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.
All rights reserved. Permission to make digital or hard copies of this work for personal or classroom use is granted
without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for commercial, advertising or promotional purposes, and
that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in
electronic form on servers, redistribution to lists, or other uses of this material, require prior specific written permission or
license from the Society and NCADD. ASAM and NCADD Public Policy Statements normally may be referenced in their
entirety only, without editing or paraphrasing, and with proper attribution to the Society and NCADD. Excerpting any
statement for any purpose requires specific written permission from the Society and NCADD. Public Policy statements of
ASAM and NCADD are revised on a regular basis; therefore, those wishing to utilize this document must ensure that it is
the most current position of ASAM and NCADD on the topic addressed.
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American Society of Addiction Medicine
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