BIOLOGIC CONCOMITANTS OF ALCOHOLISM

ALCOHOLISM and alcohol-related illness are among the major medical and public-health problems in contemporary society. The development of alcoholism, like that of most diseases, reflects a complex interaction between the socioenvironmental context, the individual at risk and the availability of alcohol. It is obvious that alcohol is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for alcohol abuse. During the past decade there has been substantial progress toward understanding the causation and natural history of alcoholism. Inquiry into the biologic effects of alcohol has been facilitated by the development of animal models of alcoholism. Alcohol problems are now being examined by. © 1979, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.