As anyone who knows me personally will attest, I've never been much of a drinker, not for religious or cultural reasons, but simply because I don't enjoy it. My problem with alcohol isn't the all-too-common ones of belligerence or loss of impulse control under the influence, but simply that drinking makes me extremely drowsy: now here comes scientific research indicating that this is indeed often the case for people of my genetic ancestry.
Genetic differences in alcohol-metabolizing enzymes can significantly alter an individual's risk for developing alcohol dependence (AD). One variant of the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme, ADH1B*3, is observed almost exclusively in populations with African ancestry and has also been associated with reduced rates of AD.
Given the huge drawbacks associated with excessive alcohol consumption, I suppose it's just as well that I'm almost certainly a carrier of this particular allele. I don't need alcohol to socialize, and to be absolutely honest, I've always regarded people who need to drink to relax in the company of others - as opposed to simply enjoying a drink for its own sake - as pathetic.
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