Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are a powerful new tool for identifying genes influencing common diseases, conditions, and traits (Kingsmore et al., 2008; Lango and Weedon, 2008). As alcohol consumption is considered to influence risk for many diseases and conditions (e.g. cancer (La Vecchia et al., 2008; Toriola et al., 2008), low bone density (Berg et al., 2008), and hypertension (Chen et al., 2008)), many ongoing GWAS will assess alcohol consumption as a risk factor. Such datasets may offer the possibility of identifying genes and polymorphisms affecting alcohol use.
