To some extent, clinicians already are exploiting the understanding of genetic variation in the development of alcoholism in their treatment strategies. For example, the variation in enzymatic pathways of alcohol metabolism found in the population is mimicked in the pharmacologic treatment of alcohol dependence using the medication disulfiram, which inhibits ALDH and is a pharmacologic treatment similar to the natural variation related to rs671 and decreased ALDH activity in Asians. If alcohol is consumed after taking disulfiram, acetaldehyde levels increase, causing flushing, nausea, vomiting, and headache in the patient, which produces an aversive response to continued alcohol use.
