Well, it’s easier to go and buy a bottle of whiskey than make an appointment with a complete stranger and start telling them your darkest secrets. It’s also easier to sit back and judge your friends or work colleague swho only use alcohol on 3 or 4 nights out of 7 nights. They don’t realise that their friends and colleagues are binge drinkers and are also killing their brain cells, liver and kidneys and rationalising that they are doing their brain, liver and kidneys by taking time out to rest, revive and survive. Very few of my clients start out willingly owning their own out-of-control emotions through self-mediating with alcohol.   Some people would rather have a more serious disease than alcoholism because they would get more sympathy. There are a myriad of mental health issues underlying self-medicating with alcohol and drugs. Alcoholism is only a symptom of an underlying problem.  I get patients that will talk for an hour to try and convince me that they don’t have a problem. One of the underlying causes could be Borderline Personality Disorder, especially if you have grown up in an alcoholic dysfunctional environment.  Spending years ducking and weaving the antics of a drunken mother or father does not leave the teenager with a balanced outlook on life. We often wonder about the genetic causes of borderline personality and many people wonder why they or a loved one has borderline personality disorder (BPD). Unfortunately, there are no easy answers, but research is getting closer to understanding the causes of BPD. Studies of BPD in families show that first degree relatives (siblings, children, parents) of people treated for BPD are 10 times more likely to have been treated for BPD themselves than the relatives of people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. However, while this suggests that BPD runs in families, studies of this type do not tell us exactly how much of BPD is due to genetics. First-degree relatives often also share environments, for example, siblings may be raised together by the same parents. So, these studies may be reflecting, in part, environmental causes of BPD. A more direct (though still imperfect) way to study the influence of genes on BPD is to examine rates of BPD among identical versus fraternal twins. There have been a few twin studies of BPD, which have shown that 42% to 69% of the variance in BPD is caused by genetics (meaning that 58% to 31% of the variance in BPD is caused by other factors, such as environment). This suggests that BPD is fairly strongly related to genetic causes, but that most likely an interaction of genes and environment leads to BPD in most people with the disorder. What does this mean for you? Well, if you have BPD, this means that it is not your fault. You probably have a genetic predisposition to develop the disorder, and perhaps you have experienced some of the environmental events that seem to be linked to BPD in some cases (such as childhood abuse, loss of a loved one). You do not have BPD because you are “weak” or “can’t handle things.” There is a reason why you experience the symptoms you do. If you have a first-degree relative with BPD, it means that you may have an increased chance of developing the disorder yourself. However, this by no means guarantees that you will have BPD. In fact, chances are likely that you will not. If you are concerned that you are showing signs of the disorder, the key is to get treatment early in order to reduce any risk factors and keep you on course. There is research showing that BPD runs in families. This is likely due to a number of factors. First, some part of BPD is due to genetics; if these are your biological kids and they have inherited a certain combination of genes from you, they may be more at risk to develop BPD. Second, the types of environments that can put children at risk of developing BPD also run in families. For example, someone who is maltreated as a child is at greater risk to develop BPD. That person is also at greater risk of having difficulty parenting. It is hard to be an effective parent when you are struggling with BPD symptoms, and it does not help if you did not have good parenting models yourself. I recommend amino acids to help balance brain chemistry and a good liver tonic to help repair liver damage. Specific amino acids are essential for the liver to breakdown toxins and drugs and also for efficient metabolism in the liver. The liver is the main fat burning organ in the body and regulates fat and carbohydrate metabolism. A healthy liver will take fat in the form of cholesterol and pump it via the bile into the intestines where it will be carried away in the bowel actions provided the diet is high in fiber. LivaTone Plus is a unique combination of liver herbs which provide fuel for the liver’s metabolic processes. These include burning fat, detoxification and filtering impurities out of the blood, along with the hundreds of other functions your liver performs every minute to keep you healthy. Tyrosine Mood Food – Tyrosine is a natural amino acid – one of the building blocks of protein. It is required for the manufacture of the brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) dopamine and noradrenaline. These neurotransmitters are required for concentration, alertness, memory and a happy, stable mood. Taking amino acids like Tyrosine Mood Food will help the dopamine neurotransmitter, the centre for satisfaction and reward. Magnesium – the great relaxer. Magnesium plays an essential role in maintaining and promoting efficient muscle function and nerve transmission. Magnesium is a vital mineral for hundreds of cellular enzymes involved in the body’s energy production and metabolism. It is required by the nervous system to regulate the function of nerves and muscles. Magnesium may also assist in the reduction of stress, nervous tension, anxiety and sleeplessness. The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.