The purpose of this paper is to investigate the contributions of the DRD4 gene on personality and motivational development, and how social support may moderate this association.
Attempts at quitting drinking for an alcoholic can be a substantial and lifelong hurdle, with relapse rates are as high as 80-95% in the year following an intervention (Hendershot, Witkiewitz, George, & Marlatt, 2011). There are three known cues that lead to relapse: consumption of a small amount of alcohol, cues that are associated with prior availability of alcohol, and stress (Hansson et al., 2006). A look at genes implicated in relapse can be an important step in creating efficacious individualized intervention treatment programs. In this review, two types of genes are inspected regarding their effects on alcohol relapse; those that involve the dopamine reward system as well as CRHR1, a gene that has been linked to stressful drinking of alcohol.