The Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) is a large-scale family study designed to identify genes that affect the risk for alcoholism (i.e., alcohol dependence) and alcohol-related characteristics and behaviors. This collaborative project is funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Data collection, analysis, and/or storage for this study take place at nine sites across the United States.

Because alcoholism is a complex genetic disorder, the COGA researchers expected that multiple genes would contribute to the risk. In other words, there will be no single "gene for alcoholism" but rather variations in many different genes that together, interacting with the environment, place some people at significantly higher risk for the disease. Source: NIAAA