Once established, an alcohol addiction diagnosis does not offer any information about the type, causes, and stage of the problem. Recent studies suggest that alcoholism is a complex physical-psychicological malady.
People from different social classes with different professions can develop an alcohol addiction.

Alcohol addiction is caused by psychosomatic, social and ideologic problems or better said by a complexed interaction between psychological and physical features, a certain enviroment, and a specific attitude towards life.

However, alcohol addiction may develop, but is not certain.

addiction is caused by determining factors that "push" the person into an excessive drinking.

The progress of the alcohol addiction is determined by the individual's character, emotions and behavior.

However, each alcoholic is responsible for their life even when the enviroment playes a major influence on the addiction onset and progress.

When the alcoholic refuses to be responsible for what they become and for their addiction, and continues to consider themself the victim of the society and circumstances, they will end in a situation without solutions. Only when they initiate behavioral and attitude changes, their efforts and the effort of their family, friend or counselors will lead to a successful otucome. Only in this conditions, the alcoholic can start working on their problem by focusing on the causes that lead to the development of the addiction.

Hereditary causes

Alcoholism is not a genetic condition. However, all those that have a family history of alcohol related problems should be as cautious of approaching alcohol as a hereditary diabetics is with sugar.

Alcoholism is not inherited like the blue color of the eyes or other genetic disorders. However, it is also known that some families have more members alcoholics than others.
According to an American study, children of alcoholic families have a four time the risk to become addicted to alcohol than children from non-alcholic families. However, each person reacts different to alcohol, but the tolerance toward alcohol seems to be inherited (statement proved by studies conducted on twins from different rases.)

We can also talk about a so called social inheritance. Childrens from alcoholic families are exposed to alcohol-related experiences that are considered normal in their family environment. An outside person can think that these experiences would not affect the child's further development. The reality is different.

Several researches suggest that, in general, boys with alcoholic fathers are more tolerant to alcohol than other boys. Also, alcoholics come from families where the mothers experienced long periods of depression.

According to a study, American researchers claim that adults that have alcoholic parents are different than adults with non-alcoholic parents. This difference is emphasised by the following characteristics:

» They don't know what means to behave normally and they guide themselves after others.
» They have difficulties following a plan from the begining to the end.
» They lie even when is lot simple to say the truth.
» They critically judge themselves.
» They have hard time to relax (when things go well for a while, they start to become anxious)
» They take themself very serious.
» They experience difficulties in their personal relationships (fear of being abandoned)
» They become overexcited when facing environmental modifications, expecialy when they cannot control them.
» They constantly seek for external support and validation.
» They consider themselves different from others.
» They are either extremly conscientious, or extremly irresponsible.
» They are extremly faithful and loyal, even when their loyality is not appreciated.
» They are impulsive. They tend to get stocked in actions without a previous analyze of the alternatives and consequences.

However, this does not mean that all children with alcoholic parents will become alcoholics.

Somatic (body) causes

There are no somatic factors that cause alcohol addiction. There is no allergy to alcohol that ca trigger the addiction when the body comes in contact with a small amount of alcohol.

It is more dangerous when people only react positively to the alcohol without experiencing unpleasant follow-ups.

Several studies suggest that those individuals that have a decreased amount of endorphin (a substance similar with morphine that regulates the mood which is synthesized by the body) react positively to alcohol, and they appreciate it more.

An increased alcohol consumption for long periods of time affects the normal function of the liver. When exposed to high amounts of alcohol for long periods of time, the liver starts to process the alcohol through an additional catabolism mechanism called microzonale ethanol oxidation system. This additional mecahism catabolises more than two thirds of the ingested alcohol. That is on of the reasons why alcoholics can handle a higher amount of alcohol than normal people. However, this addictional catabolism mechanism will continue to function even after long periods of abstinence causing the craving sensations that each sober alcoholic experiences. Due to this mechanism, alcoholics cannot return to a normal alcohol consumption.

Another explanation offered recently by other researchers is that when the alcohol is metabolised, several chemicals (which are the result of the adrenalin, dopamin, and acetaldehyde condensation) known as condensation products are released in the brain. These substances target the same receptors as opiates. The brain areas where these substances operate regulate and control the mood and the psychological comfort.

A chronic, abusive alcohol consumption reduces with 50 percent the endorphins concentration in the brain. Endorphins are essential for maintaining an invigorated state of mental health.

Psychological causes

There are no specific features that profile the image of an alcoholic. However, there are several characteristics that are common among alcoholics. These are:

» The tendency to avoid problems despite the person ability to solve them.
» Personal uncertainty and inhibition.
» High need to depend on others.
» Decreased ability to cope with dissatisfaction, to be composed, or to postpone an instant gratification (low level of tolerance to frustation).
» An exaggerate self-control and suppression.
» Difficulties in satisfying their attachment and closeness needs.
» They often experience bad moods and a reduced psychical state of comfort.

However, all these characteristics can also be a consequence of an abusive drinking.

In many cases, the addiction is treated with unsuccessful attemps of self-medication to fix inner discomfort. Females often suffer from psychological wounds caused by sexual abuse or aggression. A higher number of alcoholics were raised in orphanages or in disfunctional/disorganized families. However, psychological wounds are not an essential or sufficient condition for an alcohol addiction to develop.

Unfortunately, a major role in the onset and progress of an addiction is played by the individual's attitude towards life and not so much their personality features. Most alcoholic live their life constantly waiting for something better to happen, and believe that life is a constant ascension. In reality, life follows an up-and-down pattern. An alcoholic tries to chemically equalise these ups and downs and even tries to improve the quality of their life. However, on long term, this effort has an oppsite effect.

Professional causes

There are significant differences between the number of alcoholics from different professional groups. Individuals that work so called "alcoholic jobs", such as producers and distributers of alcholic beverages, have a high risk to become alcoholics.
Also, those that work in contructions, transportation (especially sailors), self-employed individuals with a flexible work schedule, or those that have jobs either with lot of routine tasks or without constant supervision, are more exposed to alcohol consumption and are more vulnerable to develop an alcohol addiction.

When the job solicits and over-solicits the individual, they will try to cope with the stress by drinking.

It is also very important to have an education and a safe job that fits your needs. Unemployment is a major stress factor that can lead to abusive drinking.

Those women that face a higher risk to develop an alcohol addiction are the staying home wives, especially those with a good social and economical situation.

Educative causes

Those parents that did not have any contribution or played an insignificant role in their children's alcohol addiction evolution, experience guit feelings and are tortured by doubts. Some believe that they spoiled the children too much, they suffocated them with too much love; others think that they had been too severe, too cold, restricted their children's freedom, or rejected them too much. An environment where the children is excessively protected and is raised to be dependent on others is also harmful.
Each of these education styles could contribute to the onset and evolution of the addiction.
However, is impossible to find a cause-effect type answer. All these worries and fears can be effective as long as they help to understand and solve the problem.

The situation seems to be easier when those individual raised by alcoholic parents, when the life leason achieved through childhood is that problems can be defeated with alcohol. Even if the children experienced negatively their parent alcoholism, they might follow the same pattern in order to solve their problems.

Conflictual causes

Every family or jobs conflict can lead to an abusive drinking. However, an abusive drinking can also be the cause for many familial and professional problems, which can complicate more the situation. The individual will strongly want to avoid these conflicts but they actually build a vicious circle. This cicle will become stronger and stronger in time and request tremendous effort to be stopped.

A closer examination of this situation reveals that the addiction is not caused by the conflict, but by the individual coping maner. The conflict can be either approched and solved, or avoided. So, not the conflict is the problem, but the approaching maner. One thing is sure, alcohol is not an effectice solution to deal with conflicts.

Social causes

The society's attitude towards alcohol and alcoholics is equivocal. While the alcoholic is despised for drinking too much, those that can drink high amounts of alcohol at a party are admired. Drinking high amounts of alcohol is also perceived as a masculinity sign. A real man is the one that can handle high amounts of alcohol. In opposition to the strong men is the weak one, which either drinks small amount of alcohol or does not drink at all.

Unfortunately, the society accepts the alcohol consumption and unwillingly promotes the alcohol addiction. When the negative effect of drinking alcohol is underestimated, the society helps the person facing an alcohol addiction to not see the real danger they are actually facing.