One environmental risk factor for AUDs is exposure to adverse events during childhood (Keyes, Hatzenbuehler, & Hasin, 2011). Childhood adversity can refer to a wide range of exposures including sexual, emotional and physical abuse and neglect, and parental death or separation that occur during the first 18 years of life. Despite variability in measurement and study design, most (Bensley, Spieker, et al., 1999; Kessler, Davis, & Kendler, 1997; Sartor et al., 2007) although not all (Bulik, Prescott, & Kendler, 2001; Sher et al., 1997) studies show that childhood adversities are associated with earlier onset of adolescent alcohol consumption and with AUDs in adulthood. Since the protective ADH1B variant exerts its effect by limiting alcohol consumption (Hurley & Edenberg, 2012), ADH1B may show a stronger effect among those whose risk for heavy drinking is increased by childhood adversity than among those without this increased risk.
