AUD can be viewed as the end point of a series of transitions (Figure 1), which begin with the initiation of use, continue with the escalation to hazardous drinking and culminate in compulsive harmful use that persists despite negative consequences. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been instrumental in discovering novel genetic loci associated with multiple psychiatric conditions. In the field of AUD genetics, studies have mostly focused on either levels of consumption or AUD diagnosis. Recent GWAS have now begun to identify hundreds of genome-wide significant variants, and provide evidence that the components of alcohol use behavior have a distinct genetic architecture.
