It does not matter how you interpret it, the question was 'Is alcholism a disease?' with the final part being 'What do you think?', not 'What do doctors think?'.  You added the 'medical community' part.  Maybe you should pay attention while reading.



The original topic asked for anyone's opinion about the subject, not the medical community's opinion, so there is no need for another topic.  You have expressed yours that it is a disease and I have expressed mine that it is not.



I don't know, are we?

Is alcholism a disease? IMHO, no.

Alchoholism is the effects of a person who can't control his urges.  Just because someone can't say "no" to his habits does not mean we should say he has a disease.

The same could be said for smokers, is smoking a disease?  No one has called it a disease yet, but wait a few years and it may earn the title as well.

Hell, most of us would love to do things that destroy our bodiers like eat like a pig, do all kinds of drugs, smoke, drink, and anything else that tastes or feels good.  But, we realize that the plaesure of doing these things does not outweigh the consequences (sp?) and we refrain from them.

Just because an alchoholic to lazy to quit does not mean he has a "disease."

To be an Alcoholic you HAVE TO DRINK ALCOHOL, therefore you cannot become an ALCOHOLIC any other way, how can this be considered a disease?? Some people after smoking crack one time become addicted, does this make crack addiction a disease?? I think not.

A person is considered an alcoholic when drinking becomes a problem for him.  How much, where, when, with whom, and what are variables with each person and can serve as indicators but no hard and fast rules apply.

Why, on the other hand, is the one characteristic that does make a difference.  The alcoholic drinks to feel good and looks for alcohol to do for him what he cannot do for himself.

Drinking two beers does not commonly fit the description of an alcoholic, yet it happens not because of the amount but how it affects them.
Case in point:
Guy walks in and holds up liquor store. Guy ends up with no left arm.  No one shot him but two (2) beers screwed him up enough he ran out of the store through a plate glass window.

Not consuming alcohol by will power is possible for normal people and for some alcoholics, but the difference often lies in being able to deal with things as a normal person and being happy.  Many alcoholics continue the same crazy approach to living and behavcior without the booze as they did when they were actively drinking.

Two afflictions that contribute greatly to alcoholism are Attention Deficit Disorder and Codependency.   ADD is a physical condition in the brain that impairs a person's ability to remember, finish jobs, concentrate on 1 thing rather than bouncing back and forth among 10, do well in school, etc.  ADHD adds hyperactivity to the mix and is seen in kids who can't sit still, talk all the time, daydream, forget everything, don't do well in school, constantly tapping their feet or fingers or pencils, etc.

Codependency may be defined as doing or not doing something you want to do to keep some other SOB happy.  You prostitute yourself, your ideas, your, wants, needs, goals, etc. in order to please others.

The disease argument will probably rage on for years unless the genetic research comes up with something concrete.   However, the greatest success with treatment has come from approaching it as a disease.

Actually being an alcoholic is one of the luckier addictions to have because one usually will find about about it and have a chance to do something about it.  Hopefully before the person ends up in a mental hospital, prison, or the cemetery.

Conversely, those who are workaholics, religionaholics, foodaholicsw, cleanaholics, tvaholicssports fanaholics, etc,. never discover that their their behavior is basically just as destructive to their lives and the lives of their families as is being an alcoholic.  Just as with alcohol, they have found a way to escape.

There is no simple way to totally classify or treat alcoholism or any other addiction either as disease, will power, or genetics.  The variables are many and complex, and what causes and what successfully treats one will not necessarily be correct for the next one.

An old quote that is especially applicable with addictions:

"Do not criticize the ways of another until you have walked many miles in his moccasins."

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Interesting discussion.  I am a psychologist in private practice, and you will find that even the professionals will not agree on whether alcoholism is a "disease."  In some cases it clearly appears to be a behavioral problem (in most cases actually).  In other cases there is a biological problem with the patient's TIQ receptors in their brain that get knocked out of whack with the first use of alcohol and these patients are the "disease" ones.  However, this type of alcoholic is few and far between.  Another point to be made is that most alcoholics are not physically addicted to alcohol.  It is more a psychological dependence.  If you look in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illness- 4th Edition that we use for diagnosing "mental illness" you will find that alcoholism is listed as a mental illness.  But then so is nicotine addiction and caffeine addiction.  So if you drink more than the equivalent of 5 cups of coffee a day, you have a "mental illness."  That is according to the DSM-IV anyway.  This discussion of alcoholism is like the discussion of homosexuality.  In some homosexuals, post mortem exams have revealed a difference in their brain structure.  But these patients are few and far between.  For the most part, homosexuality is a choice.  Now for some levity on the discussion.  Everyone is espousing their philosophy about alcoholism.  What is the definition of a philosopher?  Answer:  A deaf man eavesdropping.

Charles Tatum, Ph.D.
Alamo Professional Arms

Nope! It is a moral problem.
Jim Hall