I don't believe that "genetics" plays a role in it at all unless you're going for the addictive personality complex which I believe is a byproduct of an intellectual mind (and has been shown to be linked to heightened reward processes in the brain which allow for faster retention of memories etc).

I always thought that if I began drinking, having never experienced the effects of any drugs before; that if I liked it I would easily become addicted and so alcohol scared the shit out of me from a young age. I am adopted from a part of the world where alcoholism is rife and was probably the cause of me being an orphan in the first place - I know it killed the parents of my adopted sister and that premise also scared me as unfounded as it were.

I would say it is an environmental product because I went from a life of bullying and being a social outcast to drinking this miracle juice that made me a number of friends and that's what I was addicted to - meeting people that seemed actually pleased to see me. I didn't realise it was only because I bought it all for them and when I ran out of money, they all ran away. I drank alone then and would visit bars every single day alone and drink close to 7 pints without considering the effect of it on my body (17.5 standard drinks). When I stopped that for the first time I didn't even know what withdrawals were and I just assumed the shaking and cold sweating was just a strange fever or similar and it was over within about 5 days. After I had done this multiple times I started googling and found out about it all and started to fear myself for my drinking and it became an internal mental conviction that I am now scared of my own desires. It's at the stage now where if I drink until I coma out then I can almost have withdrawal the next day. Then I read about kindling and realised I had probably inadvertently done that to myself and that's probably why now after a minor bender I end up with hallucinations.

So yeah, product of environment.