1994; Murray et al., 1983; Partanen, 1972), and almost all supported a genetic influence in alcoholism with an estimated proportion of the risk explained by genes of about 60% (Edenberg and Foroud, 2006; Kendler, 2012). Taken together twin, family and adoption studies have convincingly demonstrated that genetic factors account for between 50 and 60% of the vulnerability to alcoholism (McGue, 1999; Prescott and Kendler, 1999). Although these results provide compelling evidence for a genetic influence on alcoholism they do not indicate the specific genes that increase or decrease risk towards developing alcoholism.
