ADH1B and alcohol dependence: ADH: Because of the differences in the enzymatic activity to metabolize alcohol to acetaldehyde, it has been postulated that those with alleles encoding for higher enzymatic activity such as ADH1B*2 and ADH1C*1 alleles, are at increased risk of developing ALD and modifying the risk for alcohol dependence due to higher acetaldehyde exposure at any given alcohol concentration [91,92].