Data for this report were obtained from the UCSF Family Alcoholism Study, a nationwide study on the genetics of alcoholism and other substance dependence (Seaton et al., 2004; Vieten et al., 2004). In brief, probands were sampled from the community through semi-targeted direct mail, a web site, press releases, advertisements and from alumni of treatment centers across the nation. Probands were invited to participate if they met screening criteria for alcohol dependence at some point in their lifetime and had at least one sibling or both parents available to participate in the study. With the permission of the proband, relatives were invited by mail to participate.
