A 10-year follow-up of sons of alcoholics: preliminary results

Abstract

Since 1977, 237 sons of alcoholic fathers and 237 controls (474 men) have been studied in our laboratory. At the time of initial evaluation, and at an average age of approximately 21 years, the sons of alcoholics demonstrated a diminished response to alcohol as measured by their subjective feelings, levels of body sway, electrophysiological functioning, and changes in 3 hormones. This paper presents the preliminary findings of a 10-year follow-up carried out in an attempt to determine whether the combination of family history status and the intensity of reaction to alcohol at age 21 predicted the likelihood of developing severe and repetitive alcohol life problems over the subsequent decade.