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Penn State researchers co-led a large genetic study that identified more than 2,300 genes predicting alcohol and tobacco use after analyzing data from more than 3.4 million people. They said a majority of these genes were similar among people with European, African, American and Asian ancestries.

Alcohol and tobacco use are associated with approximately 15% and 5% of deaths worldwide, respectively, and are linked with chronic conditions like cancer and heart disease. Although the environment and culture can affect a person’s use and the likelihood of becoming addicted to these substances, genetics is also a contributing factor, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. They helped identify around 400 genes that are associated with certain alcohol and tobacco use behaviors in people in a prior research study.

“We’ve now identified more than 1,900 additional genes that are associated with alcohol and tobacco use behaviors,” said Dajiang Liu, professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Public Health Sciences. “A fifth of the samples used in our analysis were from non-European ancestries, which increases the relevance of these findings to a diverse population.”

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05477-4

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Is there a way to test if you have these genes?

These genes are most likely connected to other more important functions in our bodies too, we could try but the results probably won’t be too pleaseing or give good results.

Australian aborigines seem to have a greater tendency to problems with alcohol (sorry, I can’t back this up with scientific evidence, so great with caution).

I wonder what a similar study here, would reveal.

Sounds like Orc mischief to me

It’s well documented that trauma (and intergenerational trauma) can increase substance use. And Native people all around the world have suffered some of the worst parts of colonization, poverty, etc.

I'd be amused to look at geographic distributions where these genes were the most prevalent. Like Poland/Lithuania that holds several records for most inotixicated men in the world (one died, but from the car accident because he thought a BAC above 1.0 was still fine for driving)

I knew I was treading on delicate ground here, hence the caution.

I’m really glad the carcinogenic nature of alcohol is being popularized.

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