It has been stated that genetic factors account for 50-60 per cent of risk for alcoholism (Matt McGue, University of Minnesota). It has also been known for some time that some ethnic groups (including East Chinese) have a deficiency of an enzyme which metabolises alcohol resulting in an enhanced (unpleasant) reaction when having a drink, thus explaining why alcoholism is much less likely in these communities.

More specifically, recent research has found some 11 genes which make one more susceptible to alcoholism. Another gene has been found to help protect against this tendency.

Genes do not control our destiny, and this is clearly seen in the case of alcoholism. Even if one is born with the genes which code for alcoholism, these by themselves do not lead to addiction.

If, however, such people actually start drinking, then there is a much greater likelihood of them turning into chronic alcoholics. It looks as if alcoholism genes merely prime you to become more susceptible to turning into a fully-fledged alcoholic once you start getting the habit of drinking, making it very difficult to stop and control the amount of alcohol intake.

Like most things in life relating to health, alcoholism results from the effects of a combination of genes and environment. Provide encouragement and facilities for drinking and that (relatively small) proportion of the population with the relevant genes will turn into alcoholics.

Binge drinking has now become a way of life (or death?). Irrespective of legislation, children have been known to start drinking as early as 14 years of age. These days it looks as if young peeople, in particular, seem incapable of enjoying themselves without swallowing a superabundance of alcohol.

Statistics confirm that Malta is close to the top of the range when it comes to over-drinking. A study carried out by the European School Survey Projection on Alcohol and Other Drugs (2007) concluded that 15-16-year-old teens in Malta ranked third among 35 European nations when it comes to binge drinking. More than half of 16-year-olds ‘admitted to drinking more than five drinks at one time in the previous month’.

The NHS system in the UK defines binge drinking as “drinking heavily in a short space of time to get drunk or feel the effects of alcohol”. A recent study from King’s College, London shows that boys who have a specific gene (RASGRF-2) are more likely to indulge in binge drinking. As Gunter Schumann emphasised, this is only one factor that may be associated with alcoholism.

It would appear that having a certain genetic constitution has a contributory effect on the brain: a special hormone (dopamine, the feel-good hormone) is released, which encourages the individual to seek further and further satisfaction from drink.

In an article published in the British Journal of Addiction (August 1991), A. M. Baldacchino complains that “there is a laissez-faire response to alcoholism, at least partly due to the present inability to identify the need to take appropriate measures. The police force, medical profession and politicians still do not feel the responsibility or the need to provide effective laws and regulations, specialised treatment services or educative programmes on alcohol-related issues”.

Binge drinking has now become a way of life (or death?)

He says “a systematic enquiry is needed urgently to determine the severity and degree of the problems posed by alcohol abuse among the Maltese”. Although written more than 20 years ago, things have not really improved significantly since then.

Malta has a wonderful climate and is a great place for a holiday. This attracts tourists in massive numbers. They enjoy themselves as intensely as possible in their limited time in the sun. It is no surprise that local youngsters hope to emulate the habits of these birds of passage but see no reason why they should limit this to one or two weeks of the year, but prefer to translate this into a way of life, continuously, week in and week out.

It does look as if some people are genetically ‘hard-wired’ to be more likely to develop into chronic alcoholics. But these tendencies seem to be controllable, and for a long time in the past, they appear to have been well-controlled.

It is the ethos which has developed in recent years that has toppled the situation into an uncontrollable crisis of alcoholism and binge drinking.