Handedness and alcoholism.

One hundred thirty-six alcoholic men and 48 alcoholic women admitted consecutively to an adult alcohol and substance abuse unit were studied in an attempt to replicate previous reports of an association between alcoholism and handedness. Each individual received a structured admission interview, and handedness was determined by a modification of the Edinburgh Inventory. Left-handedness was more frequent in men with alcoholic fathers and in first-born men. These data are discussed in the context of a recent theory relating left-handedness, immune disease, developmental learning disorders, and fetal testosterone.