s it was impossible for researchers to obtain pure lines of “alcoholic” and “abstaining” rats. This led researchers to determine that alcoholism is a disease influenced by more than one gene loci (Goodwin and Guze, 1972). Science has advanced phenomenally since this data was collected and it is important to note that this discovery opened many doors. The establishment that the heredity of alcoholism is polygenic has revealed other theories that attempt to explain the genetic differences in offspring from the same pair of mice. Animals that prefer alcohol to water when given the chance tend to have a greater tolerance for alcohol. They have higher alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase activity, reducing acetaldehyde levels as compared to low preference animals. All of the data concerning certain mice and rats preference for alcohol over water is relative to the fact that their metabolic processes enable them to process alcohol at a more efficient rate (Goodwin and Guze, 1972). This can be compared to humans in many ways, one of them being that studies have found that people able to tolerate large amounts of alcohol without much exposure are often prone to become alcoholics later in life (Goodwin, 1981).Another notable aspect of early tests conducted on rodents to determine an inclination for alcoholism dealt with malnourished rats seeking alcohol rather than water. Rats and mice experiencing vitamin-deficiency drank more alcohol than healthy rats did. It was hypothesized that rats recognized the higher caloric value of alcohol and consumed it as a matter of survival. In looking for the adaptive significance of alcoholism this example is promising. Researchers however declare this correlation as irrelevant. It is stated that the actions of a rat seeking caloric value from alcohol cannot be basis for human alcoholism (Goodwin and Guze, 1972).Animal testing has reached new domains since the pub...
