Science of alcohol addiction April 5, 2010 1:36 PM   Subscribe
Two questions about a theory of alcoholism: Irreversible change
at the cellular level.  Here’s the theory: At a certain point in
the drinking life, a physical change can occur at the cellular
level: Namely, the presence of alcohol itself begins to trigger
a physical need in the cell — a need for more alcohol.
(Explaining why the first drink becomes the trigger for the
second, and so on.) If this physical change occurs, it is
irreversible, and the person is an alcoholic; if it has not,
alcoholism hasn’t yet developed. Presumably, why the cells of
some people change in this way sooner than cells in other people
has a strong basis in genetics.  2 separate questions: 1) Is
this theory widely respected among creditable experts? 2) Is it
true? posted by LonnieK to health & fitness (21 answers total) 3
users marked this as a favorite Pseudo/quasi science? William
Burroughs proposed the exact same theory for heroin. He went so
far as to say that if you c