The mechanisms through which these different subjective response profiles contribute to the development of AUDs also may differ among the two types of at-risk groups, and this area is ripe for additional study. A low level of overall response to alcohol appears to represent an important component of inherited risk for AUDs, with prospective studies providing additional support for this view (e.g., Schuckit, 1994; Schuckit and Smith, 1996; Schuckit and Smith, 2000; Schuckit and Smith, 2001; Schuckit et al., 2007; Trim et al., 2009). Less is known, however, about why this intermediate phenotype confers risk. The LLRM proposes that FH+ men require greater alcohol consumption to achieve intoxication, which motivates them to drink more heavily (e.g., Shuckit, 2009), but to our knowledge no study has yet specifically evaluated this hypothesis.
