Like most other mental disorders, alcoholism has no one cause and is not passed down from generation to generation in families. However, alcoholism is the result of a combination of complex genetic, psychological and environmental factors.
Alcoholic drinks stimulate the release of endorphins, hormones that cause feelings of pleasure in the brain. Based on research by the Gallo Clinic Ernest and Research Center, University of California, endorphins are released in the brain in the nucleus accumbens and orbitofrontal cortices.
The brain part of the nucleus accumbens, is a brain region associated with addictive behavior, while the orbifrontal cortex is a brain region associated with decision making.