Alcoholism, which can also be called alcohol use disorder, affects an estimated 14.1 million adults in the United States (1). It has been linked to different SNPs in 6 main genes, all of which have to do with chemicals or hormones in the brain. OPRM1 and DRD2 are receptors for opioids and dopamine, respectively, while SLC6A3 and SLC6A4 are transporters of dopamine and serotonin. GABRA2 is a GABA receptor gene, and GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. GHSR is the gene that is a receptor for growth hormones (2). The genes linked to alcoholism have to do with the chemical balance of the brain, because imbalance of those chemicals can lead to psychiatric disorders, such as alcoholism. While a person cannot be completely confident that they will develop alcoholism based on the presence of these genes, the genetic predisposition to alcoholism may be a reason to take preventative measures.

To test for alcoholism, I would recommend a SNP chip. If there were a chip with the SNPs that are implicated in the tendency towards alcoholism, it would only cost $300 to determine whether a person has a tendency towards alcoholism. A person may want to get this test if they are concerned about the development of alcoholism in their future. If they get the test, they can make the decision to be proactive about how much alcohol they consume. However, even if the tests are positive, it does not mean that they will definitely develop the disorder; it simply means they are at higher risk because the mutations in their genes make a person more likely to have alcoholism.

Additionally, the studies on some of the SNPs that are considered to be linked to alcoholism have had mixed results. This means that we are not completely sure of the association between the SNP and alcoholism, so there are significant limitations to the degree to which the genetic tests can predict a person’s likelihood of developing alcoholism. Other variants such as the environment that a person lives/grew up in, may impact the likelihood of developing alcoholism as well, and those cannot be predicted by a genetic test (4). If someone tests positive for most of the SNPs that are associated with alcoholism, then they are at a higher risk for developing the disease. However, this still is not a guarantee of them getting it. Any lifestyle changes that a person chooses to implement based on positive results of the genetic tests may be completely unnecessary, and the person would have disrupted their life out of fear of a disease that they may never develop (5).

There is still some debate as to whether alcoholism is genetic or hereditary. If someone in the family has already tested positive for the SNPs that are associated with alcoholism, other members of the family may be at higher risk and should consider getting tested if they are worried about developing the disease; however, this is not a guaranteed correlation. If a person does test positive for the associated SNPs, they should monitor their alcohol consumption carefully, and perhaps ask a trusted friend or family member to keep them accountable. If the person wants to take prevention very seriously, or if they have had issues with addiction in the past, they could give up the drug altogether. The person should share the results of the test with their doctor in order that their doctor can make decisions regarding treatment plans with addictive medications, because addition to alcohol is often associated with other addictions.

Overall, people who are very concerned about the possibility of developing alcoholism in their future could complete a genetic test that shows whether they have SNPs in their genes that are consistent with those linked to alcoholism. However, they must bear in mind that even if they undergo the genetic testing and test positively, they may not develop the disease, and vice versa. Genetic testing for alcoholism has its limits, and one cannot take the test and expect its results to be a guarantee of whether or not they will develop the disease.

 “Alcohol Facts And Statistics.” National Institute On Alcohol Abuse And Alcoholism (NIAAA), https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-facts-and-statistics. Accessed 4 Dec. 2019.

Alcoholism – SNPedia. https://www.snpedia.com/index.php/Alcoholism. Accessed 4 Dec. 2019.

1. For my outreach project, I went to Clarke County High School and helped the AP Environmental Students with their bacteria experiment. For this project, we showed the students how to count, label, and analyze the plates and data. This skill will be important for their labs in the future, and for my own. We used the plates that we had already analyzed in class, so it was easy for us to understand what to do with them, but for me it was a little difficult to explain to the students what they should be doing/to teach them what I already knew. It was important to be able to relate to the students as we helped them, because they would be more responsive. I don’t think that I could be a teacher in the future, but I enjoyed helping the students younger than me learn about the same subjects I was. I think that in the future, I would try to do things in a more organized way, so that the process would run more smoothly. I enjoyed being out of the classroom and having more of a hands-on approach. As I helped the students learn about antibiotic resistance, I felt like I was gaining a new understanding through the process of teaching them. I hope that it made an impact on them, so that they also understand the importance of the subject. I liked this project because it seemed like I was doing a good thing in the community, rather than just learning something in a classroom. I think that in the future I’ll try to think about the way that the things I’m learning will impact the next generation of students.

When I played my role in the policy exercise, I felt frustrated. It was hard to try and figure out how to compromise with other countries when I felt like my country was doing everything right and they were making the mistakes, even though I knew that wasn’t entirely true. It felt like no matter what we did, it was impossible to come up with a realistic plan to reduce emissions that would actually reach our goal.

How did your reaction, comments, feelings; and shifts (if any) in negotiating positions evolve across the rounds and discussions? My group was forced to accept more reductions in our emissions in exchange for the money we needed, which was frankly unrealistic, but included for the sake of the simulation.

How did your group change their ideas? We had to shift from being very hopeful and conservative at the beginning to making insane reductions by the end in order to achieve the results that we wanted.

What prompted that change? All the countries had to make more drastic changes as the rounds continue, because we looked at the chart and saw that the rise in temperature was still not under 2 degrees. It became more intense debate as the teams all tried to figure out what would finally bring us under 2 degrees.

In the end, do you think that emissions can be cut? I believe emissions can be cut, but not to the level that they need to be in order to protect our climate fully.

What were the major costs and barriers to implementation of participant proposals? Countries did not want to give money because they needed to focus on their own efforts, but the countries in need could not implement any plans without funding from richer countries. It is all costly and easy to place blame on others.

How can we catalyze change in the US? We can reduce our emissions individually and try to live a more environmentally-conscious life. We can also make our government aware of the fact that this is an issue that matters to its people.

In this picture, I see the art that is within the riparian buffer. It’s a red metal abstract structure. Behind it is a bridge with a small tunnel underneath it, and it front of it is a small, walled-off rocky area. 

In this picture, I noticed how the art looks out-of-place because it’s man-made in an all natural environment, but that it was made so that it almost blends in. 

I think someone would interpret this as man’s interference in the environment, but while we usually think of that as a negative thing, I believe that this picture shows how our influence can be beneficial. 

This image represents a point of pride because I was proud that my University/the city I live in puts art in places, even when nobody might ever see it. It shows that our community cares about the upkeep of our surroundings. 

I think this picture is about the beauty that can be found when humanity makes an effort to make our community and environment better, and when we truly care about it.