Home Tools - Behavior Geneti... x 1 / 5 Procedure 2 Read the following excerpt from a diary written by a college student named Paula. Paula's diary for March 2, 2001 I remember my first drink. It was in eighth grade-my Dad let me have a beer at one of his parties. It was the first time I really felt normal. I didn't have another drink until my junior year. I've partied a lot since then. It's so easy to sneak stuff from Dad's liquor cabinet. It seems like what I'm doing with my friends isn't all that dif- ferent from his parties with his friends. Last night at a fraternity party on campus, LaShawna and Kaitlin told me that they think my drinking is out of control. They say that once I start I don't stop. I told them they were nuts. But, this morn- ing I woke up in my car in a neighborhood I didn't recognize, and I had no idea how I got there. I had to drive around for like 20 minutes until I found something I recognized. There are times when a drink is all I really want. When I think about it, maybe Dad has a drinking problem him- self-and he's pretty successful. I think I might ask him about it. No, I'll call Claire. Her brother went to jail for drunk driving and she hasn't had a drink since. She should know something. Search tools Prepare Form Accessibility Optimize PDF PDF Standards Print Production Edit PDF Fill & Sign Export PDF Combine Files More Tools Check out new e-sign tools Use web forms, send in bulk, add branding, and more. See All Read the following to learn what happened to Paula and how her father attempts to fight the effects of alcohol abuse. Paula died two months later, when, under the influence of alcohol, she drove her car at high speed into a lamppost on the freeway. Her successful father is, in fact, a US senator. Devastated by this tragedy, he set about learning all that he could about the causes of Paula's alcohol dependence. He learned, for example, that two genes influence the risk for alcohol dependence. Those genes together account for 55% of the total risk for alcohol independence. Genotypes for these alleles can be determined by a simple procedure seen below. Genotype Results Paula Marcia Applegate Genotype: aa, bb Senator Applegate Genotype: Aa, bb Genotype: aa, Bb Alcoholic Male Alcoholic Female Bob Genotype: aa, bb Henrietta Genotype: Aa Bb Non Alcoholic Male Non Alcoholic Female Five years after Paula's death, Senator Applegate believed that the understanding of the genetics of alcohol abuse had matured enough, and the he understood the science well enough, to propose policies regulating the purchase and consumption of alcohol. On the senate floor, Senator Applegate delivered a speech arguing his legislation, which is designed to minimize alcohol abuse. Senator's Applegate's Speech before the United States Senate My daughter Paula died five years ago. She drove her car into a lamppost on the freeway, and she was drunk when she did it. I'll never know if it was suicide or an accident, but I go to bed every night wondering whether I could have saved my daughter. What I do know now, from what her friends have told me, is that she clearly abused alcohol throughout her last few years of high school and in college. I have proposed legislation to create a new government program, to be called the Alcohol Freedom Program, that will prevent tragedies involving alcohol. The program will be fully funded by a new sales tax on beverage alcohol. Informally, I think of this legislation as "Paula's Law." Please refer to the accompanying press release for details about the science underlying this proposal. SENATE BILL S106 THIS LEGISLATION WILL REQUIRE EVERY PERSON WHO WISHES TO PURCHASE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES TO OBTAIN AN ALCOHOL FREEDOM CARD, WHICH MUST BE PRESENTED AT THE TIME OF ANY PURCHASE OF BEVERAGE ALCOHOL. THE LEGISLATION HAS SIX BASIC PROVISIONS: 1. EVERY PERSON CURRENTLY 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER WILL PROVIDE A SAMPLE OF CHEEK CELLS. DNA WILL BE EXTRACTED. GENOTYPES AT EACH OF TWO RELEVANT LOCI WILL BE DETERMINED AT A NEWLY CREATED GOVERNMENT LABORATORY. THE GENOTYPES WILL BE ENTERED INTO A NATIONAL DATABASE. 2. UPON REACHING THE AGE OF 21, A PERSON MAY REQUEST AN ALCOHOL FREEDOM CARD. THESE CARDS WILL CONTAIN AN INDIVIDUAL'S GENOTYPE AT THE ALCOHOL-DEPENDENCE RISK LOCI. THE ALCOHOL FREEDOM CARD WILL BE REQUIRED TO PURCHASE BEVERAGE ALCOHOL. 3. THIS LEGISLATION ALSO WILL CREATE A SECOND DATABASE, TO BE CALLED THE ALCOHOL PURCHASE REGISTRY. AT THE TIME OF EACH ALCOHOL PURCHASE, THE ALCOHOL FREEDOM CARD WILL BE SWIPED AND THE DATABASE ACCESSED. THE DATABASE WILL RECORD EACH INDIVIDUAL'S BEVERAGE-ALCOHOL PURCHASES MADE WITH THE ALCOHOL FREEDOM CARD. IN ADDITION, THE DATABASE WILL BE PRO- GRAMMED TO IDENTIFY ALL INDIVIDUALS WHO PURCHASE EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF BEVERAGE ALCOHOL. 4. BEVERAGE ALCOHOL PURCHASES WILL BE PROHIBITED UNDER EITHER OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS: A. INDIVIDUALS WITH ALL TWO SUSCEPTIBILITY ALLELES WILL BE DENIED THE PRIVILEGE OF PUR- CHASING ALCOHOL. B. INDIVIDUALS WITH A RECORD OF EXCESSIVE BEVERAGE-ALCOHOL PURCHASES WILL BE DENIED THE PRIVILEGE OF FURTHER ALCOHOL PURCHASES. 5. PENALTIES FOR ILLEGAL SALE OR TRANSFER OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES WILL BE ESTABLISHED AND WILL INCLUDE FINES AND IMPRISONMENT. 6. APPROPRIATE EXCEPTIONS WILL BE ALLOWED FOR RELIGIOUS AND CERTAIN OTHER USAGES, CONSIS- TENT WITH THE FIRST AMENDMENT. Friends, I have been so impressed by the power of these genetic methods that I had a sample of my daughter's blood tested for the four loci in the proposed legislation. Sure enough, she had all TWO genetic risk factors. If Paula had had this genetic test while still alive, the proposed legislation would have prevented her from getting within one hundred yards of a drink. Had she known of her risk, she would have been influenced by her own prudence to avoid alcohol, and had I known, I would have taken steps to rid our house of alcohol. Also, if her high level of alcohol purchases after the age of 21 had been monitored by the government, action could have been taken to prevent further excess purchase and consumption. We now have the opportunity to apply important scientific information to the benefit of all of our citizens, young and old alike. I urge you to support this landmark legislation. There is absolutely no doubt that this law will save lives at a cost of only a small loss of individual liberty. Think of my daughter, and realize that the first life saved under this legislation might be yours-or, more importantly, that of your child. Press Release on Paula's Law From the Office of Senator Otis Applegate The Capitol, Washington, D.C., USA Alcohol Abuse and Motor Vehicle Accidents Approximately 45,000 people die in motor vehicle accidents each year. Of all fatal motor vehicle accidents, alcohol is involved about 35 percent of the time. Approximately 30 percent of those killed in alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents are between the ages of 16 and 24. Family and Twin Studies About 13 percent of Americans have a problem with alcohol dependence. Thus, alcohol abuse is a preva- lent problem in our society. Several studies have shown that the biological children of alcohol-dependent subjects are at increased risk for developing alcohol problems themselves. The adopted children of alcoholics develop drinking problems at a higher rate than the adopted children of nonalcoholics. Twin studies have shown that monozygotic, or identical, twins are more likely to share the diagnosis of alcohol dependence than dizygotic or fraternal twins. Genetic Studies Genes coding for enzymes that metabolize alcohol affect the risk for alcohol dependence. For example, in some Asian populations, polymorphisms in these genes can result in the buildup of a somewhat toxic metabolite of alcohol in the blood. People with alleles resulting in a greater buildup of the toxic metabolite tend to feel a little sick when they drink. As a result, they are at lower risk for developing alcohol dependence. Two extensive studies published in the late 1990s detected the presence of other genes influencing risk for alcohol dependence. However, those studies did not actually pinpoint the location of the genes or establish their function. Now, in 2006, some of the genes located in those studies have been identified. Two specific genes increased the risk for alcohol dependence in one population study. Each gene oper- ates in recessive fashion, so risk is associated only with homozygotes. Although this research involved only a limited number of participants, the scientists estimate that, together, these genes might account for 55 percent of the risk for alcoholism in this disorder. Policy Implications Identifying pedispositions a. There is now the potential for: identifying the physiological basis of the disorder; developing new treatments; preventing onset of illness; and 08 09 Percent Risk for 20 Developing Alcoholism 40 0 33% 55% 0 1 2 Number of high-risk homozygous recessive genes identifying individuals with genetic predispositions to alcohol abuse and, consequently, those who may exhibit behaviors detrimental to our society. b. If we can identify at-risk individuals, we may be able to prevent those unwanted behaviors befor they appear The degree to which we will ever be able to prevent the behavior will depend on the predictive value of the genetic test. c. We know a great deal about the behavioral aspects of alcohol dependence and the contribution of environ- mental factors to alcohol dependence. Combining that knowledge can provide powerful predictions of future risk for alcohol dependence. Governmentegulation a. Paula's Law proposes a level of government interference in the behaviors of the American people that is already accepted. Government control over alcohol is well established. Government control over access to drugs other than alcohol, such as marijuana, cocaine, and heroin, is even greater. State and local regulation has existed for many years. For example, the state of Oregon issues a separate identity card that must be used to purchase alcohol. In Texas and many other states, counties have the legal power to ban the purchase of hard liquor within their jurisdiction and many do so. b. Large databases exist in many places. The government tracks handgun sales as part of the Brady Law and maintains those data in a national data- base. Many grocery stores swipe store cards in check-out lines and track the individual purchases of their cus- tomers.