The Alcoholism Disease Concept - Is Alcoholism Really a Disease?

There are a lot of contrasting opinions out there for the alcoholism disease concept. Some say alcoholism shows all the same characteristics as a disease and therefore alcoholics cannot be blamed for their addiction because it’s something they have no control over, much like you have no control over contracting cancer.

Others feel that this is an easy way out, that it allows addicts to absolve their responsibility from their addictive behaviours, that addiction is more a state of mind than anything else and that it’s a matter of will in choosing to overcome an addiction.

Alcoholism as a Disease ... Can it be Classified as One?

There are four words that the medical profession use to characterise a disease or illness ...

An illness or disease like cancer or diabetes is:

• Primary
• Progressive
• Chronic
• Fatal

Now alcoholism for those that support this view, see it as likewise in that alcoholism can also be regarded as primary, progressive, chronic and fatal.

Is it primary? Well, alcoholism is a describable and identifiable condition that causes other physical problems like liver damage and malnutrition so it can be regarded as an illness in it’s own right, therefore making it primary.

As for it being progressive ... alcoholism definitely tends to get worse over time so there can be no arguments about that one.

It is also something that stays in the body, whether or not a triggering substance has activated it, whether it be alcohol or another drug. An alcoholic who has been clean for a couple of years and relapses again will experience drinking like he hasn’t had that break for two years.

In other words, your body responds as if you've continued using all that time even though there was a break for two years. In the case of drug addicts who have stopped and come back to using after a period of time often end up overdosing because it feels like they haven’t been away, but their body actually can’t handle the doses they’re putting in anymore.

So in that sense it is chronic because it always stays in your body and can only be arrested, but never cured.

And as for it being fatal, most definitely. You hear, read or may even know someone that has died as a result of his addiction.

So there we have it, is alcoholism a disease? It certainly seems to meet the criteria for a disease or illness and is increasingly being recognised as such. But I'd like you go read the drug addiction disease page as well, where I'll discuss the argument for those of you that think alcoholism or drug addiction is just a state of mind or sign of weakness - and I'll tell you what I think about all this as well ...