If you know me pretty well, you know about my humongous sweet tooth. I'd eat desserts before the rest of my meals if you don't stop me. I'd eat desserts in place of meals if I could get away with it.

My dad also has a pretty sizable sweet tooth, and it has gotten more obvious and significant in these last few years. The island in my parents' kitchen is covered with cookies, candies, and other pastries, and the freezer is full of tubs of ice cream and frozen cakes. Dad consumes these desserts like there's no tomorrow. Despite that, he seems healthier than average for his age.

I've found a possible explanation for these sweet teeth that dad and I have. I recently read in an issue of Time, and then online, that there is a link between having a sweet tooth and the genetic risk of alcoholism. I never really suspected that my big sweet want/need might also be genetic, but that seems to make a lot of sense to me now.