be viewed within the broader context of alcoholism where the opioid receptor genes are taken to be partial, rather than complete, risk factors for the disorder. Thus, it may be that polymorphisms in OPRM1 encode for a variant that influences a more narrowly defined risk factor for alcoholism. This risk factor is envisioned to partially influence the development of the disorder, but may or may not ultimately be associated with the diagnosis depending on the age of the participant, presence of other risk factors and environmental variables.
