Alcoholism: The Genetic Inheritance [Paperback]

Kathleen Whalen Fitzgerald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2002

You inherited your mother's eyes...Your father's smile...And your grandfather's drinking problem.

"For over thirty years," writes author and recovering alcoholic Kathleen FitzGerald, "the American Medical Association has recognized alcoholism as a disease with identifiable and progressive symptoms that, if untreated, lead to mental damage, physical incapacity and early death. Yet still do not treat alcoholism as a disease, but as a sin, a social stigma, a moral aberration.

This book takes you on a journey through not only understanding alcoholism and drug addiction, but also addresses the emotional, physical and biological effects of this disease. If you are looking for a way to understand, overcome and recover alcoholism, you must read this book.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Some critics maintain that the concept of alcoholism as a disease has been pushed too far because it tends to absolve heavy drinkers of responsibility. FitzGerald brushes over this controversy, arguing that compulsive drinking is a hereditary, progressive illness caused by irregular body chemistry. This primer on the causes and cure of "Jellinek's disease," as she calls alcoholism (after the Yale doctor who investigated its biochemical roots) summarizes the clinical evidence for physical dependency and outlines stages of addiction. The author is herself a recovering alcoholic and novelist (The Good Sisters). She illuminates the crucial roles played by the problem drinker's family membersthe spouse who acts as Enabler, children who become Mascots, Scapegoats or Super Kids. Helpful advice on influencing the alcoholic to confront his or her problem is interwoven with mini-case histories. Appendixes include six checklists for alcoholics and family members seeking help.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Most of the 12 chapters in this book could stand alone as independent titles in a collection, for each brings out one aspect of the constellation that is alcoholism: denial, cross-addiction, effect on children, co-dependency, intervention, detoxification, A.A., recovery, and government policy. The case histories are well chosen to illustrate the topics. Though the author believes in the disease concept of alcoholism, using the term "Jellinek's diesease," she does not marshal all available evidence for it nor refute Fingarette's Heavy Drinking ( LJ 5/1/88), which debunks the disease concept. Yet if one overlooks a tendency to exhort, this is an empathetic overview of the contemporary meaning of alcoholism to the individual and to the family. Janice Dunham, John Jay Coll. Lib., New York
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 265 pages
• Publisher: Whales Tales Pr; Revised edition (August 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1882195019
• ISBN-13: 978-1882195015
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #762,494 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent and understandable explanation of alcoholism., October 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Alcoholism: The Genetic Inheritance (Hardcover)

This is an inspiring book for anyone who is or knows an alcoholic. My mother-in-law is in the final stages of alcoholism. I felt like crying when I read this book because I felt like the author had met her or seen her. Just when we think there is no hope and that we are alone with this disease, we realize that others are out there, and that we can learn from their experiences. The descriptions are detailed and the personal accounts are vivid. Anyone who is an alcoholic or who knows an alcoholic should read this book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now I Get It!!!, March 30, 2002

By 

pca 135 (Here) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alcoholism: The Genetic Inheritance (Paperback)

This book was very helpful for me to understand alcoholism as a family disease. I finally found a book that spoke to me in my own language. It seemed to know my life. I now know that this is a disease and not something I could control on my own. This wonderful book saved my family. Everyone in the world should read this. It relates to everyone!!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Alcoholics, Friends and Families: read this book, July 2, 2011

By 

Sanibeljac (Fort Myers, FL USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alcoholism: The Genetic Inheritance (Hardcover)

I bought this for a friend who recently lost her 30 y/o grandson to the complications of alcoholism. Until she read this book, she couldn't understand why he "chose such self destruction." She thanked me profusely for this book, and shared it with the young man's grieving parents and aunt. It helped them understand the genetic nature of the disease, and to understand he didn't "choose" it for his life. If you have anybody in your family who suffers or has suffered from this disease, you must read this book. If you know that alcoholism runs in your family, give it to your children before they're old enough to experiment with alcohol. It could save a life...