Findings from numerous non-treatment studies are also relevant to the possibility of genetic influences on relapse processes. For instance, genetic factors could influence relapse in part via drug-specific cognitive processes. Recent studies have reported genetic associations with alcohol-related cognitions, including alcohol expectancies, drinking refusal self-efficacy, drinking motives, and implicit measures of alcohol-related motivation [51,52,104-108]. Overall, the body of research on genetic influences on relapse and related processes is nascent and virtually all findings require replication. Consistent with the broader literature, it can be anticipated that most genetic associations with relapse outcomes will be small in magnitude and potentially difficult to replicate. Nonetheless, initial studies have yielded intriguing results. It is inevitable that the next decade will see exponential growth in this area, including greater use of genome-wide analyses of treatment response [109] and efforts to evaluate the clinical utility and cost effectiveness of tailoring treatments based on pharmacogenetics. Finally, an intriguing direction is to evaluate whether providing clients with personalized genetic information can facilitate reductions in substance use or improve treatment adherence [110,111].
