12240. ALCOHOLIC FAMILIES: DOES HEREDITY PLAY A ROLE? This paper reviews the literature on the hereditary etiology of alcoholism. Concludes that the evidence provided by twin and adoption studies, as well as more recent evidence culled from genetic research, makes a strong case that heredity plays an important role in an individual’s propensity towards alcohol abuse and alcoholism. Keywords: alcoholism causes genetic family. 7 pages, 12 footnotes, 10 bibliographic sources.