influences, which are crucial in determining an individual’s susceptibility to AUD. Polygenic and environmental risks often reinforce each other (82). Factors such as family dynamics, peer interactions, adverse life events, and broader societal factors such as religion and education interact with genetic predispositions to pronouncedly affect individual drinking behaviors and susceptibility to AUD (83). Future studies of polygenic risk mechanisms should attempt to incorporate environmental factors to provide a more comprehensive understanding of AUD susceptibility.
