Putative type II alcoholism characteristics in female third DUI offenders in Massachusetts: a pilot study

Women who come to the attention of the courts may exhibit heritable Type II alcoholism. Accumulating evidence indicates that more women report having alcoholic parents, that onset of women's alcohol problems before age 25 predicts greater severity of alcohol problems, that women most frequently acknowledge driving while intoxicated (DUI) as an alcohol-related problem, and that the percent of female arrests for DUI has increased. Alcoholic men have been classified as Type I (onset after age 25 and environmentally influenced) or Type II (onset before age 25 with impulsivity and criminal activity) alcoholics. Alcoholism in daughters of Type I fathers is said to occur after age 25 and to be shaped by environmental conditions, but it has been argued that daughters of Type II alcoholic fathers express their family histories in somatization. We report results from a pilot study that found putative Type II alcoholism characteristics, including early age of onset and inability to curtail drinking, in a sample of 12 incarcerated female third DUI offenders.