@pigjubby1 Perhaps reading this piece may help... it's called "Drugs and the Brain" (and alcohol is a drug). It is produced by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and here's the site, drugabuse gov scienceofaddiction brain html [I've added spaces and removed the periods in the web link otherwise I can't post it to youtube]
@kevinfirstnamefinn you really are a worthless piece of shit. im sorry your parents were worthless pieces of shit just like you that didint know how to teach you any respect. its too bad youll never get to meet bill cause youll be rotting in the depths of hell. ive got an idea. and its a great one. GO SUCK START A GLOCK
This is the the lack of accountability in today generation. They are deliberate acts. Drinking causes addiction? To who is this news to? The world knows that, and yet they try to tempt the "disease'." Guess what? if you know alcohol causes a disease, then that person is not only careless but stupid for doing it in the first place. There are people with real disease that need help.
Both my parents and niece died of cancer and there is no way anyone can say that alcoholism is a disease. No one chose cancer, no one chose diabetes, no one chose Alzheimer's but the act of drinking was done with full consciousness, completely deliberate and totally welcomed.
It's similar to when over-weight people claim they do not possess the ability to stop eating due to a gene. What I don't get in these cases is why these genes are accompanied by the Pizza gene and the fried chicken gene.
Could be, I'll agree to that possibility, but this "disease" was self-made and after years and years of warnings and knowledge of what it does people have still chosen to partake of it. The only conclusion can be made that either stupidity is also a disease or that stupidity is learned
Alcoholism is a choice and saying it's a disease takes the drinker's responsibility away from the drinker. Accountability is lost. A disease is bullshit. That's saying the drinker had no choice but to drink and keep drinking. Today's world is full of, "It's not my fault."
@pigjubby1 Diseases affect the cells in our bodies, which means they affect one or more body organs (heart, lungs, brain, liver, eyes) or organ systems (cardiovascular system, metabolism) because organs and body systems are made up of cells. The disease of addiction, whether it's to drugs or alcohol, affects the brain -- it changes the chemical and structural make-up of the brain. In other words, it changes the way the brain works, which is why it’s defined as a brain disease.
@pigjubby1 Exactly. You choose to drink. You don't choose to get cancer. The "disease" concept is just old nonsense that drinkers use to make themselves feel better.
Regardless of what drinkers say, they choose to put it to their mouths and take that drink. The disease thing just takes the accountability from their lives. As bad as when the rioters in Los Angels said that poverty made them riot. My parents were from the Depression and never resorted to stealing. It's about time the word stops enabling them by making weak excuses. It's all BS!!! Go to a cancer ward and tell them that what drinkers have is a disease.
Hi Kevin -- understanding the disease for what it is -- a brain disease that by it's very nature changes the chemical and structural make-up of the brain and therefore how a person "thinks" and behaves only explains how a person can "choose" to drink and drive. There is no excuse for it; just an explanation. Please look at my website, BreakingTheCycles com, for more info on all of this new research that explains why/how alcoholism (and other drug addictions) are brain diseases.
I am a veteran family therapist and a recovering son of two alcoholics. Alcoholism and other addictions are **NOT** a "disease," "illness," or "character defect"! Addiction is an unconscious reflex to mute unbearable inner pain that starts with early-childhood abuse, abandonment, and neglect. Please see my YouTube "Lesson 4 - addictions" playlist for more info.
If your addicted to alcohol, you still have the power to put down the drink. You can pretend its not your fault, but just because its harder for you to put the drink down doesn't mean its impossible.
Brain imaging proves nothing except that the brain has sustained damage from use of alcohol and drugs. You cannot take a child never exposed to alcohol and image their brain and determine them to be a future alcoholic. When you promote these lies all you do is further perpetuate the problems of alcoholism. It's not a disease but a choice.
@beautifulmind546 No one is saying you predict whether a person will become an alcoholic using a brain scan. I urge you to look at these websites for further information: hbo com/addiction and BreakingTheCycles com
@breakingthecycles I will look at the website, but did you watch the video you posted? It's says that alcoholism is a disease and brain scans prove it which is entirely false. Brain scans from MRI's show differences in brains but all brains are different. Condition of a brain does not predict a certain behavior nor outcome. Alcoholism is a choice not a disease.
@beautifulmind546 perhaps this link will help drugabuse gov/scienceofaddiction/ -- the scans confirm the chemical and structural changes in the brain caused by addiction. This new science is possible thanks to new imaging technologies that allow scientists to study the human brain in action.
@beautifulmind546 perhaps this link will help drugabuse gov scienceofaddiction -- the scans confirm the chemical and structural changes in the brain caused by addiction. This new science is possible thanks to new imaging technologies that allow scientists to study the human brain in action.
@beautifulmind546 perhaps this link will help drugabuse gov scienceofaddiction -- the scans confirm the chemical and structural changes in the brain caused by addiction. This new science is possible thanks to new imaging technologies that allow scientists to study the human brain in action.
@beautifulmind546@beautifulmind546 perhaps this link will help drugabuse gov scienceofaddiction -- the scans confirm the chemical and structural changes in the brain caused by addiction. This new science is possible thanks to new imaging technologies that allow scientists to study the human brain in action.
@breakingthecycles Again all the brain images prove is that the use of drugs and alcohol damage the brain in addiction. They do not in fact show any evidence that alcoholism is disease as this video suggest nor does it show that certain "brain types" will become alcoholic. By promoting these lies you enable alcoholics to see themselves as irresponsible for their choices and victims of a nonexistent disease. Alcohol and drugs damage the brain over long term use - duh!
@beautifulmind546 I can understand why you'd question my stating that alcoholism is a brain disease, but I don't understand how/why you question NIDA, NIAAA, WHO, AMA, ASAM and a host of other national and international research organizations that have found alcoholism to be a brain disease.
@breakingthecycles Because such organizations often have alterior motives, motives not to actually help people deal with thier problems but to make a profit or gain some sort of power. The fact is that alcoholism is not a brain disease and the scans do not prove that. The scans prove that the brain becomes damage with the abuse of alcohol and drugs not the propensity to becoming an addict. But clearly these organizations are promoting the false disease model. Prove to me it is a brain disyoucant
whowhowho! slow down! Alcoholism is a disease because it damages the brain? a pencil damages the brain! you have to have better motivations before making a video!
Diseases affect the cells in our bodies, which means they affect one or more body organs (heart, lungs, brain, liver, eyes) or organ systems (cardiovascular system, metabolism) because organs and body systems are made up of cells. The disease of addiction, whether it's to drugs or alcohol, affects the brain -- it changes the chemical and structural make-up of the brain. In other words, it changes the way the brain works, which is why it’s defined as a brain disease.
I have a disease, spinal cord disease to be specific. I can barely walk because of it. I go to doctor's appointments in order to try to deal with the symptoms. In contrast, alcoholics go to meetings where their "friends" try to get them to CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR. To say that alcoholism is a disease the same way that tuberculosis is a disease is a lie, plain and simple.
Alcoholism IS a disease, the same way that tuberculosis is a disease. In fact, I had TB, but then I started going to these meetings a couple of times a week and I've been completely cured for 6 months straight! Because that's how you treat actual medical illnesses and not addictions.
MY SISTER HAS CHRONS DISEASE, IF I KEEP HER IN A ROOM ALONE AND FEED HER SHE WILL STILL HAVE THE DISEASE., MY FATHER IS A ALCOHOLIC AND IF I LOOK HIM UP FOR LONG ENOUGH HE WOULD DRY OUT AND START TO BECOME HEALED. YOU INSULT EVERYONE WHO IS DYING AND ROTTING FROM REAL DISEASE WITH THIS EXTREMELY SHORTSIDED VIEW OF LIFE, MANY PEOPLE HAVE ALCOHOLICS IN THE FAMILY, i SUGGEST YOU GO TO A HOSPITAL AND WATCH PEOPLE AT 19 YEARS OLD HAVING SHIT BAGS TIED TO THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE ROTTING FROM INSIDE/OUT
Thank you Jermyn and DawnoftheCrazy for your comments. Please read some of my previous replies. Addiction/alcoholism is most certainly a disease -- a treatable disease. NIAAA, NIDA, AMA, WHO, ASAM, SAMHSA are but a few of the organizations that identify alcoholism as a disease.
It's not a fucking disease. It's a choice. People that continue to drink even when they know they become abusive do not continue because it's a disease. They continue by choice and selfishness.
Agreed--drinking is a choice. The disease aspect is what occurs in the brain--the chemical & structural changes--the cravings, loss of control, tolerance and physical dependence. One does not "catch" alcoholism. It is the result of alcohol abuse, which sets up the chemical & structural brain changes, which in turn makes one vulnerable to the risk factors: genetics, social environment, childhood trauma, mental illness & early use. The disease makes it impossible to drink & control one's drinking.
Alcoholism is NOT a disease. I'm an alcoholic, and I freely admit that it's a choice in every way. You do not catch or contract alcoholism, because it's a voluntary behavior, i.e. a CHOICE. I chose to take every single horrible drink I ever had, and I take full responsibility for it. No one ever made me or forced me, and I was the only one to blame. I'd never have the audacity to look a cancer victim in the face and tell them "I have a disease, too." (I'd hope they'd slap me.) Could you?
You can quit, but the rewards of drinking out weigh the benefits of drinking. Drinkers mask a hurt. The hurt has to be worked on, before the drinking stops. The drinking does serve a purpose, but the solution to masking the hurt, then becomes the problem itself. It is a choice. I was a drinker, so I know. Something has to motivate you to stop. Like teenage sex. No science behind it. They do it because it feels good. No moral issue really. Drinker drink because it takes away pain.
I agree that the label doesn't really matter. Alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence (alcoholism) cause behavioral changes due to a person's drinking more than their brain and body can process. These behavioral changes include fights with loved ones, unprotected/unwanted sex, verbal/physical/emotional abuse, driving while under the influence... it is the behaviors that are the problem. Thank you for your comment.
The disease concept is true or false based on what definition you choose to use. It really doesn't matter either way b/c "alcoholics" are so diverse in their drinking issues that the only thing consistent is that they abuse alcohol (which non-alcoholics do to). "Alcoholism" is, therefore a meaningless word.
What gets me is how the drunks who wanted to remove personal responsibilty and feel sorry for themselves spoiled it for the rest of us who want the world to understand that.
"An interruption, cessation, or disorder of body function, system, or organ characterised by at least two of these criteria: recognized etiologic agent(s), identifiable group of signs and symptoms, or consistent anatomic alterations."
[Stedman's Medical Dictionary 2008]
In short, there has to be an OBSERVABLE DISEASE ENTITY present in the said organism. Alcoholism and addiction DO NOT meet this diagnostic criteria. You cannot perform an autopsy on an alcoholic and find alcoholism.
See, your "evidence" seems to be a sheep-like adherence to "expert organisations" (that are ideologically, politically, and economically motivated) who claim that alcoholism is a disease.
Have you actually read ANY primary scientific literature?
Or are you simply happy to take their word for it?
Like most on YT, your argument is simply:
"a bunch of doctors (AMA, APA, etc) say 'alcoholism is a disease'... That's good enough for me!"
How 'bout looking at the DSM IV for disease classification?
I found the CURE for addiction and I have proof for this claim. Click on my name and witness Powerful Stories of Freedom. I personally know and have witnessed over 100 addicts who have found True and Lasting FREEDOM after being enslaved by their addictions for so long. I have been through many programs for my addiction, but have never found so much Hope, Joy, Peace, and Love than I have in the program I am in now. And the people I know who have given their stories are experiencing the same!
Alcoholism is not a sickness. That's really stupid. It's a lack of willpower. You don't catch alcohol or develop it, you put it in yourself. Saying it a disease is just a way to make it not your fault. Good job
Call it a disease does not remove the person's responsibility. It's still that person's responsibility to stop using the substance and get treatment -- just as it's the person's responsibility who has diabetes or heart disease to do what is prescribed to treat their diseases -- one of which is behavior modification, which is also one of the treatment options for treating addiction.
@breakingthecycles Research has shown that alcoholism is a choice, not a disease, and stripping alcohol abusers of their choice, by applying the disease concept, is a threat to the health of the individual.
@HomeWreckerA1 There is a great deal of 21st century brain and addiction-related research that "proves" alcoholism is one of the diseases of addiction; addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease." NIDA and NIAAA offer a great deal of information as does the website, "Addiction," collaboratively produced by HBO, NIAA, NIDA and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
"There is a great deal of 21st century brain and addiction-related research that "proves" alcoholism is one of the diseases of addiction"
But not ONE research paper has identified a gene that is causal of addictive behavior and demonstrated how it causes addictive behavior.
Hundreds of research articles over the last 30 years have all individually identified hundreds of different genes that have a very weak (at best) correlation to alcoholism.
I would like you to share your research sources. As for some of mine, they include: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA), World Health Organization (WHO), American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)... there is a great compilation of research on the HBO website called, "Addiction."
You are making the POSITIVE affirmation - that "alcoholism IS a disease".
Therefore, the burden of proof is on YOU. Please provide the empirical evidence, and logical analysis of that evidence, to support that positive claim.
I have claimed nothing except that alcoholism as a behavior is just that - a behavior.
Let's see the evidence that empirically proves alcoholism as a somatic disease entity and how it causes alcoholism.
OK, then it should be easy to get the research and post it here...
Remember, just as I can show a seamless, uninterrupted causal flow from the ∆F508 gene → disease manifestation → disease entity → cystic fibrosis, the research should demonstrate the SAME explanatory detail.
Also, for research disproving some of the central tenents of the disease theory see:
Mello & Mendelsen (1972); Gottheil et al (1972); Cohen et al (1971a&b).
In other words, can you provide ONE peer reviewed, repeatable, conclusive research paper that demonstrates the etiology of alcoholism, the physio-pathological manifestation of the disease, the disease entity, and the symptomology.
Remember, the ten's of thousands of medically defined diseases, that constitute the biomedical disease nosology, are all documented in this way...
They all satisfy the medical strictures for disease classification...
If you like, I can give you an exemplar of disease qualification by explaining the etiology, manifestation, entity, and symptomology of a REAL disease such as cystic fibrosis.
It would take a few posts, but I can provide the exact position of the causal mutated gene on the genome, what that gene's function is, what the mutated gene's dysfunction is, the somatic consequences of this dysfunction, and the resultant physiological disease entity.
"There is a great deal of 21st century brain and addiction-related research that "proves" alcoholism is one of the diseases of addiction"
But not ONE research paper has identified a gene that is causal of addictive behavior and demonstrated how it causes addictive behavior.
Hundreds of research articles over the last 30 years have all individually identified hundreds of different genes that have a very weak (at best) correlation to alcoholism.
There is a great deal of 21st century brain and addiction-related research that "proves" alcoholism is one of the diseases of addiction; addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease." NIDA and NIAAA offer a great deal of information as does the website, "Addiction," collaboratively produced by HBO, NIAA, NIDA and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
"There is a great deal of 21st century brain and addiction-related research that "proves" alcoholism is one of the diseases of addiction"
But not ONE research paper has identified a gene that is causal of addictive behavior and demonstrated how it causes addictive behavior.
Hundreds of research articles over the last 30 years have all individually identified hundreds of different genes that have a very weak (at best) correlation to alcoholism.
"There is a great deal of 21st century brain and addiction-related research that "proves" alcoholism is one of the diseases"
I see you put quotation marks around "proves". However, you shouldn't have used the word at all, because there isn't a single shred of empirical evidence that "proves" alcoholism as a disease - explaining etiology, manifestation, entity, and symptomology.
THAT is what is required for alcoholism to qualify for disease classification.
Yes. Crack and other illegal or prescription drug addicts also have the disease of addiction. Alcoholism is but one of the diseases of addiction, which is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease. For more information about addiction, check out "Addiction" by HBO in collaboration with NIAAA, NIDA and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. I can't post the link or this reply won't appear, so you'll have to do a search of the title.
This clip was very insightful and clear on why alcoholism is a disease well at least more clear than the clips of why its not those have many red hearings and off topic discussions. I wish there were more videos like this one
I'm glad you found it helped. Alcoholism is but one of the diseases of addiction, which is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease. For more information about addiction, check out "Addiction" by HBO in collaboration with NIAAA, NIDA and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. I can't post the link or this reply won't appear, so you'll have to do a search of the title.
The idea that alcoholism is a disease has always been a political and moral notion with no scientific basis. It was first promoted in the U.S. around 1785 as an erroneous physiological theory (Levine, 1978), and later became a theme of the temperance movement (Gusfield, 1963). It was revived by AA in the 1930s, which derived its views from an amalgam of religious ideas, personal experiences, anecdotal observations, and the unsubstantiated theories of a contemporary physician (Robinson, 1979)...
I've just been able to add reply comments. I do appreciate all of yours -- discussion on this issue is important. But the new (in many cases, 21st century) brain and addiction-related research/brain scans shows addiction (to drugs or alcohol) to be a brain disease. There are several contributing risk factors for developing the disease, but it's the chemical and structural changes in the brain caused by substance abuse that makes one especially vulnerable to those risk factors.
Ofcourse its physical and mental. Its a chemical imbalance inwich confirms "PHYSICAL". Its a chemical imbalance that alters the mind to keep drinking. That is a disease physical disease. Those with the proper chemical dopamine have no need to continue drinking. Those without it are addicts, in constant search for dopamine that their body does not produce properly. If your body did not reproduce skin cells correctly, wouldnt you concider that a skin disease? Think about it. WOW... lol
@SeanCarols00 Ofcourse its physical and mental. Its a chemical imbalance inwich confirms "PHYSICAL". Its a chemical imbalance that alters the mind to keep drinking. That is a disease physical disease. Those with the proper chemical dopamine have no need to continue drinking. Those without it are addicts, in constant search for dopamine that their body does not produce properly. If your body did not reproduce skin cells correctly, wouldnt you concider that a skin disease? Think about it.
Pay attention to the binary thinking here. They contrast the disease model to that of a generalized moral weakness. Did you catch the false dichotomy? Making bad choices is not a sign of moral weakness any more than it is a disease. It's just a weakness or mistake in one area of a person's life. Real people do have strengths & weaknesses, but the recovery industry ignores this excluded middle and describes the issue in all or none terms. Doesn't that make you suspicious?
@prschuster Ofcourse its physical and mental. Its a chemical imbalance inwich confirms "PHYSICAL". Its a chemical imbalance that alters the mind to keep drinking. That is a disease physical disease. Those with the proper chemical dopamine have no need to continue drinking. Those without it are addicts, in constant search for dopamine that their body does not produce properly. If your body did not reproduce skin cells correctly, wouldnt you concider that a skin disease? Think about it.
Addiction is a chronic relapsing brain disease. So you are correct - it does not come in bottles. Others are also correct in that a person chooses to start drinking. But for a number of reasons, when a person crosses the line from alcohol abuse to addiction, they have altered the chemical and structural make-up of their brains and can no longer 'control' their drinking behaviors, nor how much they consume, as long as they drink ANY amount of alcohol, because they now have a brain disease.
LOL, they don't have a brain disease, or any disease of that matter. that's natural for your body to alter chemicals when anything is digested. when you eat, you chemical structure shifts. it's not a disease. you saying it is a disease makes it much harder for alcoholics to quite drinking you bastard.
listen up numb nut, what makes it a disease is how the chemicals in the brain of alcoholics take to alcohol. The chemicals that are changed when alcoholics drink are different from the chemicals of a non-alcoholic. Thats why you see some people can walk away from a unfinished glass of alcohol. The alcoholics brain doesnt work that way, their brain regersters alcohol in a total different way. And that is the disease...
Yeah, they feel that they need to drink. but there is nothing physically controlling your body. So what if your brain regesters something differently? that doesn't constitute a disease. many things are regestered differently, but dont have a negative impact.
@steel5w Ofcourse its physical and mental. Its a chemical imbalance inwich confirms "PHYSICAL". Its a chemical imbalance that alters the mind to keep drinking. That is a disease physical disease. Those with the proper chemical dopamine have no need to continue drinking. Those without it are addicts, in constant search for dopamine that their body does not produce properly. If your body did not reproduce skin cells correctly, wouldnt you concider that a skin disease? Think about it.
@davidhamann0606 Yeah, so do I. Expossure to something that often will alter chemical and physical responses. Just like building up an immunity to poison ivy. But just because it's in a bad way, it's a disease?
And the brain obviously does control the body. I mean that you still have a free will. THere are no spirits possessing your body. You are still the one picking up the bottle.
The chemical imbalance is their from birth, its not caused by exposure to anything."Cronic Deppression" is a disease... Let me define the meaning for you...: Definitions of disease on the Web:
an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioningdisease (plural diseases)(pathology) An abnormal condition of the body or mind that causes discomfort or dysfunction; distinct from injury insofar as the latter is usually instantaneously disease... WOW...LOL!!
@davidhamann0606 a lot of people have low dopamine levels, thats natural, thats what makes people depressed. when you drink it releases dopamine in higher concentrations. an alcoholic drinks often, not allowing their dopamine levels to replenish, causing them to be depressed, so they drink more to try and fix the problem which at that point is impossible. alcoholism is not a disease.
@sk8forlife90 Ofcourse its physical and mental. Its a chemical imbalance inwich confirms "PHYSICAL". Its a chemical imbalance that alters the mind to keep drinking. That is a disease physical disease. Those with the proper chemical dopamine have no need to continue drinking. Those without it are addicts, in constant search for dopamine that their body does not produce properly. If your body did not reproduce skin cells correctly, wouldnt you concider that a skin disease? Think about it.
@breakingthecycles wow you just want to blame anything else but your own decision don't you?
Picking up a bottle, unscrewing the cap, then bringing that bottle to your lips, and drinking the fluid, that is a series of CHOICES that you made. You are responsible for your decisions and your choices and you CHOSE to drink. Don't start calling it a disease just to completely deny your own responsibilities in fucking your own life up. You are to blame for your own decisions. Grow a spine.
Disease-noun-. a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment.
Addiction-noun- the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma
Addiction is a disease as defined by the World Health Organization, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute on Drug Addiction, the American Medical Association and the American Society of Addiction Medicine, to name a few.
If you can get rid of it by doing nothing, its not a disease. Just stop drinking cold turkey lol. I did it with cigarettes and it was a joke. almost a pack a day for 2 years too.
If you are not one stop trying to understand what this sickness is cause you will never will. But also abstain fro comenting things that u dont understand will never will. I got it genetic and i am not really happy that i have it, i dont deserve this cause i dont even enjoy it. now i just know that i cant drink, and my sickness will be here, i ll just try to keep it inactive. thts all i can do but it is a damn sickness
In respone to cheng21. Can you catch Asthma, Diabetes or Alzheimer's?
'People with a variant of the dopamine receptor gene known as DRD2 are more prone to excessive alcohol use, than those who lack the gene, the BBC reported March 1'
'Studying more than 2,000 kids, scientists have pinpointed a gene called ORMDL3, which was found at higher levels in the blood cells of kids with asthma' BBC
Are you starting to get the picture? This isnt about your opinion, its science. Argument over.
In later articles it was revealed that the genetic marker appears to have little to do with becoming an alcoholic. News stories surface every year proclaiming discoveries of the genetic sources of alcoholism while ignoring the mountains of evidence that refutes such preposterous assertions.
While researchers work hard to prove the disease concept, sound, and verifiable, repeatedly studies refute the impact of genetic predispositions.
Want to be cured? Just STOP drinking for life. You're cured.
It sounds like you are not aware of the new brain research (just in the past 10-15 years) that allows scientists to study the live human brain and understand alcoholism as a chronic relapsing brain disease.
Wrong. Most Drs DO NOT think addiction is a "disease". There is NO test for alcoholism. After yrs of drinking, yes your brain can change..same as being angry or depressed..doesnt mean its a disease. Some ppl find it harder to quit, sure, sme find it hard to stop eating...again, difficualty in an issue doenst make it a disease. Calling it a disease takes the responsability from the person who CHOOSES to drink and onto the tax payers. Its rather pathetic.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Medical Association (AMA) and the America Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) all define alcoholism as a disease. It is a disease just as Asthma, Diabetes and High Blood Pressure are diseases.
Right...and so is obesity..bc some ppl cant controle thier eating...and ppl who cant stop cleaning...and those who cant stop excersicing...and those who cant stop texting or ...well anything right? Bc we have NO controle over our bodys and our CHOICES in life...we cant decide NOT TO DRINK...its not cruible...we are just slaves to genetics....wow...thanks for clearing that up:) I just realize that I have a disease..its called commonsenseism...I cant stop being logical and living in reality.
What is the test for alcoholism? What are the ricks of getting it if you dont drink? I mean, ppl get lung cancer without smoking or being around smoke...does it effect young and old alike? how many kids get it? What drugs are used to treat this "disease"? What is the recovery rate? Oh wait its not curible.....can you answer thses questions for me?
Claiming that alcoholism is a disease gives people permission to drink again. Listen in the rooms and you'll hear the stories of how their disease snuck up on them, causing relapse. People have no control over disease so they have an excuse.
People do not become alcoholics until they abuse alcohol for an extended period of time.
I was an alcoholic for about 30 years, it wasn'y until I took responsibility for my addiction that I could take responsibility for my recover.
I prefer to call it a sick mind or an illness of the mind. Im alcoholic and have no problem admitting it but I dont use the term "disease". I have madness in my head and it gets worse even without alcohol. I am learning how to cope with it through AA and I find it interesting that people can comment on it without feeling its effects. I would not like to drink, control or not as it still causes pain and death and is very bad for your health.
Are you idiot? Although one person does not wake up like that. When the alcholic puts that first drink or drug in them, its not a matter of choice anymore. (Do some research).
alcoholism ISN'T a disease. A disease is something like Diabetes or Cancer. You don't suddenly wake up one morning without ever having a drink in your life and say, "Damn...I'm an alcoholic." You can live your entire life trying to stay ahead of diabetes and cancer and still get either. Alcoholism is a compulsory CONDITION where someone just doesn't have the willpower to put the "sauce' down.
I am an alcoholic and I prefer to use the word "illness" or "condition". Much simpler and less subject to debate. AA calls it "a seemingly impossible condition of mind and body" , and "illness" and "malady"
In advances stages, other factors come into play - pancreatitis (which alters metabolism radicaly), liver disease, wet brain and hepatic encephalopathy the combination of which take the "condition" to a whole new level. It isn't fun, believe me.
When non-alcoholics have the sheer audacity to claim that they 'know' that this is not a disease, and that it is all of the things mentioned at the start of this video, it makes the alcoholic more likely to drink, out of shame and the stigma attached to their disease. I wish they could experience it for a day. It's like having a disability until you manage to stop.
Calling something alcoholism a disease is a permissive action. It removes liability and responsibility from the person who has the habit.
Alcoholism may be an addiction, and it may be a matter of choice. But it is not a disease.
I drink, but I am responsible with it. It does not interfere with my life because I have discipline. Develop discipline and you can conquer alcoholism.
I am the strongest willed person I know. But give a person with an addicive personality and early chilhood issues an avenue to escape and you could have big problems. People with good lives never realize this. Life is too good to consider drinking every day to get away from the pain.
Thanks for this clear, strong message. Dealing with a chronic disease like alcoholism takes resolve, support, vigilance - and understanding. Not only for the person with the disease, but also for all the people who share their lives.
truth is there's no such thing as alcoholism/addiction. so-called alcoholic drinking/using is just one expression of a compulsive personality. the key to lasting and satisfying recovery, therefore, isn't simply to stop drinking and using but, rather, to move beyond the entire compulsive lifestye. takes more work than your typical recovery program but well worth it in the end. anything short of this will leave you struggling with depression and anxiety, as well as relapse.
I'd like to add that the brain can change ("heal") once the substance use is stopped. It is a disease that can be successfully treated - just as type II diabetes can successfully be treated.
Great, succinct powerful message! Wondering what causes people to start out as social drinkers and end up alcoholics; what in brain causes that break in drinking pattern.
The abuse causes several chemical changes in the brain (e.g., the neurotransmitter, dopamine, and the neuro pathwyas in the Limbic System -- explained in my book, If You Loved Me, You'd Stop!...). When abuse crosses the line to addiction (a complicated happenstance to explain, here), areas of the brain involved in decision making, pleasure, emotion, behavior control, memory and learning have been structurally altered.
Clear info on a disease that either directly or indirectly effects everyone! Once a majority of the people get the message that alcoholism is a disease, maybe the cycle can be stopped.
Soon, racism, pedophilia and murder will all be diseases.
pigjubby1 1 month ago
The disease excuse s a drinker's dream.
"I really wanted to stop, but the disease didn't let me."
pigjubby1 1 month ago
@pigjubby1 Perhaps reading this piece may help... it's called "Drugs and the Brain" (and alcohol is a drug). It is produced by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and here's the site, drugabuse gov scienceofaddiction brain html [I've added spaces and removed the periods in the web link otherwise I can't post it to youtube]
breakingthecycles 1 month ago
@breakingthecycles No, it's not a disease. The drinkers dream excuse is just that, a dream.
kevinfirstnamefinn 1 week ago
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@kevinfirstnamefinn you really are a worthless piece of shit. im sorry your parents were worthless pieces of shit just like you that didint know how to teach you any respect. its too bad youll never get to meet bill cause youll be rotting in the depths of hell. ive got an idea. and its a great one. GO SUCK START A GLOCK
casper55372 5 days ago
This is the the lack of accountability in today generation. They are deliberate acts. Drinking causes addiction? To who is this news to? The world knows that, and yet they try to tempt the "disease'." Guess what? if you know alcohol causes a disease, then that person is not only careless but stupid for doing it in the first place. There are people with real disease that need help.
pigjubby1 1 month ago
Both my parents and niece died of cancer and there is no way anyone can say that alcoholism is a disease. No one chose cancer, no one chose diabetes, no one chose Alzheimer's but the act of drinking was done with full consciousness, completely deliberate and totally welcomed.
It's similar to when over-weight people claim they do not possess the ability to stop eating due to a gene. What I don't get in these cases is why these genes are accompanied by the Pizza gene and the fried chicken gene.
pigjubby1 1 month ago
Could be, I'll agree to that possibility, but this "disease" was self-made and after years and years of warnings and knowledge of what it does people have still chosen to partake of it. The only conclusion can be made that either stupidity is also a disease or that stupidity is learned
pigjubby1 1 month ago
Alcoholism is a choice and saying it's a disease takes the drinker's responsibility away from the drinker. Accountability is lost. A disease is bullshit. That's saying the drinker had no choice but to drink and keep drinking. Today's world is full of, "It's not my fault."
pigjubby1 1 month ago
@pigjubby1 Diseases affect the cells in our bodies, which means they affect one or more body organs (heart, lungs, brain, liver, eyes) or organ systems (cardiovascular system, metabolism) because organs and body systems are made up of cells. The disease of addiction, whether it's to drugs or alcohol, affects the brain -- it changes the chemical and structural make-up of the brain. In other words, it changes the way the brain works, which is why it’s defined as a brain disease.
breakingthecycles 1 month ago
@pigjubby1 Exactly. You choose to drink. You don't choose to get cancer. The "disease" concept is just old nonsense that drinkers use to make themselves feel better.
kevinfirstnamefinn 1 week ago
Regardless of what drinkers say, they choose to put it to their mouths and take that drink. The disease thing just takes the accountability from their lives. As bad as when the rioters in Los Angels said that poverty made them riot. My parents were from the Depression and never resorted to stealing. It's about time the word stops enabling them by making weak excuses. It's all BS!!! Go to a cancer ward and tell them that what drinkers have is a disease.
pigjubby1 1 week ago
Hi Kevin -- understanding the disease for what it is -- a brain disease that by it's very nature changes the chemical and structural make-up of the brain and therefore how a person "thinks" and behaves only explains how a person can "choose" to drink and drive. There is no excuse for it; just an explanation. Please look at my website, BreakingTheCycles com, for more info on all of this new research that explains why/how alcoholism (and other drug addictions) are brain diseases.
breakingthecycles 2 months ago
Would this concept hold up in court? I have adisease. It's not my fault I got drunk and killed 3 people.
kevinfirstnamefinn 2 months ago 2
I am a veteran family therapist and a recovering son of two alcoholics. Alcoholism and other addictions are **NOT** a "disease," "illness," or "character defect"! Addiction is an unconscious reflex to mute unbearable inner pain that starts with early-childhood abuse, abandonment, and neglect. Please see my YouTube "Lesson 4 - addictions" playlist for more info.
gercacn 3 months ago
Yes. It is used to medicate a person.
pigjubby1 1 week ago
If your addicted to alcohol, you still have the power to put down the drink. You can pretend its not your fault, but just because its harder for you to put the drink down doesn't mean its impossible.
Sept0pus 4 months ago
@Sept0pus You are absolutely correct! An alcoholic is the only person who can stop his/her drinking -- the decision rests with them.
breakingthecycles 4 months ago
@Sept0pus You are absolutely correct! An alcoholic is the only person who can stop his/her drinking -- the decision rests with them.
breakingthecycles 4 months ago
Paying for a pint and lifting it to flush it down your throat is not a disease, it's a voluntary movement and a choice.
SSTTEEAALLTTHH 5 months ago
Brain imaging proves nothing except that the brain has sustained damage from use of alcohol and drugs. You cannot take a child never exposed to alcohol and image their brain and determine them to be a future alcoholic. When you promote these lies all you do is further perpetuate the problems of alcoholism. It's not a disease but a choice.
beautifulmind546 8 months ago
@beautifulmind546 No one is saying you predict whether a person will become an alcoholic using a brain scan. I urge you to look at these websites for further information: hbo com/addiction and BreakingTheCycles com
breakingthecycles 8 months ago
@breakingthecycles I will look at the website, but did you watch the video you posted? It's says that alcoholism is a disease and brain scans prove it which is entirely false. Brain scans from MRI's show differences in brains but all brains are different. Condition of a brain does not predict a certain behavior nor outcome. Alcoholism is a choice not a disease.
beautifulmind546 8 months ago
@beautifulmind546 perhaps this link will help drugabuse gov/scienceofaddiction/ -- the scans confirm the chemical and structural changes in the brain caused by addiction. This new science is possible thanks to new imaging technologies that allow scientists to study the human brain in action.
breakingthecycles 8 months ago
@beautifulmind546 perhaps this link will help drugabuse gov scienceofaddiction -- the scans confirm the chemical and structural changes in the brain caused by addiction. This new science is possible thanks to new imaging technologies that allow scientists to study the human brain in action.
breakingthecycles 8 months ago
@beautifulmind546 perhaps this link will help drugabuse gov scienceofaddiction -- the scans confirm the chemical and structural changes in the brain caused by addiction. This new science is possible thanks to new imaging technologies that allow scientists to study the human brain in action.
breakingthecycles 8 months ago
@beautifulmind546 @beautifulmind546 perhaps this link will help drugabuse gov scienceofaddiction -- the scans confirm the chemical and structural changes in the brain caused by addiction. This new science is possible thanks to new imaging technologies that allow scientists to study the human brain in action.
breakingthecycles 8 months ago
@breakingthecycles Again all the brain images prove is that the use of drugs and alcohol damage the brain in addiction. They do not in fact show any evidence that alcoholism is disease as this video suggest nor does it show that certain "brain types" will become alcoholic. By promoting these lies you enable alcoholics to see themselves as irresponsible for their choices and victims of a nonexistent disease. Alcohol and drugs damage the brain over long term use - duh!
beautifulmind546 8 months ago
@beautifulmind546 I can understand why you'd question my stating that alcoholism is a brain disease, but I don't understand how/why you question NIDA, NIAAA, WHO, AMA, ASAM and a host of other national and international research organizations that have found alcoholism to be a brain disease.
breakingthecycles 8 months ago
@breakingthecycles Because such organizations often have alterior motives, motives not to actually help people deal with thier problems but to make a profit or gain some sort of power. The fact is that alcoholism is not a brain disease and the scans do not prove that. The scans prove that the brain becomes damage with the abuse of alcohol and drugs not the propensity to becoming an addict. But clearly these organizations are promoting the false disease model. Prove to me it is a brain disyoucant
beautifulmind546 8 months ago
Perhaps if you read through some of the other reply comments this will make more sense. Thank you.
breakingthecycles 9 months ago
whowhowho! slow down! Alcoholism is a disease because it damages the brain? a pencil damages the brain! you have to have better motivations before making a video!
excepto94 9 months ago
complete fucking bull shit. cancer & hart conditions are dieseases alcaholism is a choice. you chose to take a drink you chose how much you drink.
sdavis732010 10 months ago
Diseases affect the cells in our bodies, which means they affect one or more body organs (heart, lungs, brain, liver, eyes) or organ systems (cardiovascular system, metabolism) because organs and body systems are made up of cells. The disease of addiction, whether it's to drugs or alcohol, affects the brain -- it changes the chemical and structural make-up of the brain. In other words, it changes the way the brain works, which is why it’s defined as a brain disease.
breakingthecycles 11 months ago
I have a disease, spinal cord disease to be specific. I can barely walk because of it. I go to doctor's appointments in order to try to deal with the symptoms. In contrast, alcoholics go to meetings where their "friends" try to get them to CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR. To say that alcoholism is a disease the same way that tuberculosis is a disease is a lie, plain and simple.
geoh7777 11 months ago
Alcoholism IS a disease, the same way that tuberculosis is a disease. In fact, I had TB, but then I started going to these meetings a couple of times a week and I've been completely cured for 6 months straight! Because that's how you treat actual medical illnesses and not addictions.
SmileysRevenge100 11 months ago
its not a disease u alcoholic fucks. put down the fucking bottles
KainScion 11 months ago
Absolute bollocks.
InDreamsITalkWithYou 1 year ago
MY SISTER HAS CHRONS DISEASE, IF I KEEP HER IN A ROOM ALONE AND FEED HER SHE WILL STILL HAVE THE DISEASE., MY FATHER IS A ALCOHOLIC AND IF I LOOK HIM UP FOR LONG ENOUGH HE WOULD DRY OUT AND START TO BECOME HEALED. YOU INSULT EVERYONE WHO IS DYING AND ROTTING FROM REAL DISEASE WITH THIS EXTREMELY SHORTSIDED VIEW OF LIFE, MANY PEOPLE HAVE ALCOHOLICS IN THE FAMILY, i SUGGEST YOU GO TO A HOSPITAL AND WATCH PEOPLE AT 19 YEARS OLD HAVING SHIT BAGS TIED TO THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE ROTTING FROM INSIDE/OUT
thisgame2 1 year ago
Thank you Jermyn and DawnoftheCrazy for your comments. Please read some of my previous replies. Addiction/alcoholism is most certainly a disease -- a treatable disease. NIAAA, NIDA, AMA, WHO, ASAM, SAMHSA are but a few of the organizations that identify alcoholism as a disease.
breakingthecycles 1 year ago
I'm sorry, but alcoholism is NOT a disease. AIDS, cancer, they'e diseases.
Jermyn78 1 year ago
It's not a fucking disease. It's a choice. People that continue to drink even when they know they become abusive do not continue because it's a disease. They continue by choice and selfishness.
DawnOfTheCrazy 1 year ago
Agreed--drinking is a choice. The disease aspect is what occurs in the brain--the chemical & structural changes--the cravings, loss of control, tolerance and physical dependence. One does not "catch" alcoholism. It is the result of alcohol abuse, which sets up the chemical & structural brain changes, which in turn makes one vulnerable to the risk factors: genetics, social environment, childhood trauma, mental illness & early use. The disease makes it impossible to drink & control one's drinking.
breakingthecycles 1 year ago
Alcoholism is NOT a disease. I'm an alcoholic, and I freely admit that it's a choice in every way. You do not catch or contract alcoholism, because it's a voluntary behavior, i.e. a CHOICE. I chose to take every single horrible drink I ever had, and I take full responsibility for it. No one ever made me or forced me, and I was the only one to blame. I'd never have the audacity to look a cancer victim in the face and tell them "I have a disease, too." (I'd hope they'd slap me.) Could you?
SubconsciousGatherer 1 year ago 6
@SubconsciousGatherer YOUR CLARITY IN SEEING THIS ALMOST MAKES IT OK FOR YOU AGAIN,
thisgame2 1 year ago
@SubconsciousGatherer If you interested we placed a naturopathic approach for alcoholism on our channel in the comment section.
HEVNAWE 4 months ago
@SubconsciousGatherer Exactly! It's not easy, but it is possible to quit. You can't quit Cancer.
homersimps1 1 month ago
You can quit, but the rewards of drinking out weigh the benefits of drinking. Drinkers mask a hurt. The hurt has to be worked on, before the drinking stops. The drinking does serve a purpose, but the solution to masking the hurt, then becomes the problem itself. It is a choice. I was a drinker, so I know. Something has to motivate you to stop. Like teenage sex. No science behind it. They do it because it feels good. No moral issue really. Drinker drink because it takes away pain.
pigjubby1 1 month ago
I meant to say, the benefits of NOT drinking...
pigjubby1 1 month ago
I agree that the label doesn't really matter. Alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence (alcoholism) cause behavioral changes due to a person's drinking more than their brain and body can process. These behavioral changes include fights with loved ones, unprotected/unwanted sex, verbal/physical/emotional abuse, driving while under the influence... it is the behaviors that are the problem. Thank you for your comment.
breakingthecycles 1 year ago
The disease concept is true or false based on what definition you choose to use. It really doesn't matter either way b/c "alcoholics" are so diverse in their drinking issues that the only thing consistent is that they abuse alcohol (which non-alcoholics do to). "Alcoholism" is, therefore a meaningless word.
What gets me is how the drunks who wanted to remove personal responsibilty and feel sorry for themselves spoiled it for the rest of us who want the world to understand that.
somexp12 1 year ago
Its strange that addiction is the only "disease" that a person can get in trouble for having.
bmadccp 1 year ago
DISEASE:
"An interruption, cessation, or disorder of body function, system, or organ characterised by at least two of these criteria: recognized etiologic agent(s), identifiable group of signs and symptoms, or consistent anatomic alterations."
[Stedman's Medical Dictionary 2008]
In short, there has to be an OBSERVABLE DISEASE ENTITY present in the said organism. Alcoholism and addiction DO NOT meet this diagnostic criteria. You cannot perform an autopsy on an alcoholic and find alcoholism.
Hammersley1967 1 year ago 10
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Hammersley1967 1 year ago
See, your "evidence" seems to be a sheep-like adherence to "expert organisations" (that are ideologically, politically, and economically motivated) who claim that alcoholism is a disease.
Have you actually read ANY primary scientific literature?
Or are you simply happy to take their word for it?
Like most on YT, your argument is simply:
"a bunch of doctors (AMA, APA, etc) say 'alcoholism is a disease'... That's good enough for me!"
How 'bout looking at the DSM IV for disease classification?
Hammersley1967 1 year ago
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I found the CURE for addiction and I have proof for this claim. Click on my name and witness Powerful Stories of Freedom. I personally know and have witnessed over 100 addicts who have found True and Lasting FREEDOM after being enslaved by their addictions for so long. I have been through many programs for my addiction, but have never found so much Hope, Joy, Peace, and Love than I have in the program I am in now. And the people I know who have given their stories are experiencing the same!
mdcombs79 1 year ago
Alcoholism is not a sickness. That's really stupid. It's a lack of willpower. You don't catch alcohol or develop it, you put it in yourself. Saying it a disease is just a way to make it not your fault. Good job
garg411 1 year ago
@breakingthecycles i thinks its a cop-out to call it a disease. Takes away all responsibility of the person
oddiemonsta 1 year ago
@oddiemonsta
Call it a disease does not remove the person's responsibility. It's still that person's responsibility to stop using the substance and get treatment -- just as it's the person's responsibility who has diabetes or heart disease to do what is prescribed to treat their diseases -- one of which is behavior modification, which is also one of the treatment options for treating addiction.
breakingthecycles 1 year ago
@breakingthecycles Research has shown that alcoholism is a choice, not a disease, and stripping alcohol abusers of their choice, by applying the disease concept, is a threat to the health of the individual.
HomeWreckerA1 1 year ago
@HomeWreckerA1 There is a great deal of 21st century brain and addiction-related research that "proves" alcoholism is one of the diseases of addiction; addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease." NIDA and NIAAA offer a great deal of information as does the website, "Addiction," collaboratively produced by HBO, NIAA, NIDA and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
breakingthecycles 1 year ago
@breakingthecycles
"There is a great deal of 21st century brain and addiction-related research that "proves" alcoholism is one of the diseases of addiction"
But not ONE research paper has identified a gene that is causal of addictive behavior and demonstrated how it causes addictive behavior.
Hundreds of research articles over the last 30 years have all individually identified hundreds of different genes that have a very weak (at best) correlation to alcoholism.
So what do we believe?
Hammersley1967 1 year ago
@Hammersley1967
I would like you to share your research sources. As for some of mine, they include: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA), World Health Organization (WHO), American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)... there is a great compilation of research on the HBO website called, "Addiction."
breakingthecycles 1 year ago
@breakingthecycles
You are making the POSITIVE affirmation - that "alcoholism IS a disease".
Therefore, the burden of proof is on YOU. Please provide the empirical evidence, and logical analysis of that evidence, to support that positive claim.
I have claimed nothing except that alcoholism as a behavior is just that - a behavior.
Let's see the evidence that empirically proves alcoholism as a somatic disease entity and how it causes alcoholism.
All you've posited is a list of organisations.
Hammersley1967 1 year ago
@Hammersley1967
The organizations I listed have the research posted.
breakingthecycles 1 year ago
@breakingthecycles
OK, then it should be easy to get the research and post it here...
Remember, just as I can show a seamless, uninterrupted causal flow from the ∆F508 gene → disease manifestation → disease entity → cystic fibrosis, the research should demonstrate the SAME explanatory detail.
Also, for research disproving some of the central tenents of the disease theory see:
Mello & Mendelsen (1972); Gottheil et al (1972); Cohen et al (1971a&b).
They are the first of many such studies...
Hammersley1967 1 year ago
@breakingthecycles
In other words, can you provide ONE peer reviewed, repeatable, conclusive research paper that demonstrates the etiology of alcoholism, the physio-pathological manifestation of the disease, the disease entity, and the symptomology.
Remember, the ten's of thousands of medically defined diseases, that constitute the biomedical disease nosology, are all documented in this way...
They all satisfy the medical strictures for disease classification...
Alcoholism does not...
Hammersley1967 1 year ago
@breakingthecycles
If you like, I can give you an exemplar of disease qualification by explaining the etiology, manifestation, entity, and symptomology of a REAL disease such as cystic fibrosis.
It would take a few posts, but I can provide the exact position of the causal mutated gene on the genome, what that gene's function is, what the mutated gene's dysfunction is, the somatic consequences of this dysfunction, and the resultant physiological disease entity.
Can you do that with alcoholism?
Hammersley1967 1 year ago
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@breakingthecycles
"There is a great deal of 21st century brain and addiction-related research that "proves" alcoholism is one of the diseases of addiction"
But not ONE research paper has identified a gene that is causal of addictive behavior and demonstrated how it causes addictive behavior.
Hundreds of research articles over the last 30 years have all individually identified hundreds of different genes that have a very weak (at best) correlation to alcoholism.
So what do we believe?
Hammersley1967 1 year ago
@HomeWreckerA1
There is a great deal of 21st century brain and addiction-related research that "proves" alcoholism is one of the diseases of addiction; addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease." NIDA and NIAAA offer a great deal of information as does the website, "Addiction," collaboratively produced by HBO, NIAA, NIDA and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
breakingthecycles 1 year ago
@breakingthecycles
"There is a great deal of 21st century brain and addiction-related research that "proves" alcoholism is one of the diseases of addiction"
But not ONE research paper has identified a gene that is causal of addictive behavior and demonstrated how it causes addictive behavior.
Hundreds of research articles over the last 30 years have all individually identified hundreds of different genes that have a very weak (at best) correlation to alcoholism.
So which one do we believe?
Hammersley1967 1 year ago
@breakingthecycles
"There is a great deal of 21st century brain and addiction-related research that "proves" alcoholism is one of the diseases"
I see you put quotation marks around "proves". However, you shouldn't have used the word at all, because there isn't a single shred of empirical evidence that "proves" alcoholism as a disease - explaining etiology, manifestation, entity, and symptomology.
THAT is what is required for alcoholism to qualify for disease classification.
Check the DSM IV.
Hammersley1967 1 year ago
@breakingthecycles
"one of which is behavior modification, which is also one of the treatment options for treating addiction."
A disease treated with "behaviour modification"?
That would be the only disease in the world that can be treated that way...
Choose not to suffer from the symptoms and it goes away!!!
ABSURD
Hammersley1967 1 year ago
If that was a crack head, would say it was a disease? Or a addict?
oddiemonsta 1 year ago
@oddiemonsta
Yes. Crack and other illegal or prescription drug addicts also have the disease of addiction. Alcoholism is but one of the diseases of addiction, which is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease. For more information about addiction, check out "Addiction" by HBO in collaboration with NIAAA, NIDA and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. I can't post the link or this reply won't appear, so you'll have to do a search of the title.
breakingthecycles 1 year ago
This clip was very insightful and clear on why alcoholism is a disease well at least more clear than the clips of why its not those have many red hearings and off topic discussions. I wish there were more videos like this one
kokidoki1 1 year ago
@kokidoki1
I'm glad you found it helped. Alcoholism is but one of the diseases of addiction, which is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease. For more information about addiction, check out "Addiction" by HBO in collaboration with NIAAA, NIDA and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. I can't post the link or this reply won't appear, so you'll have to do a search of the title.
breakingthecycles 1 year ago
The idea that alcoholism is a disease has always been a political and moral notion with no scientific basis. It was first promoted in the U.S. around 1785 as an erroneous physiological theory (Levine, 1978), and later became a theme of the temperance movement (Gusfield, 1963). It was revived by AA in the 1930s, which derived its views from an amalgam of religious ideas, personal experiences, anecdotal observations, and the unsubstantiated theories of a contemporary physician (Robinson, 1979)...
Hammersley1967 1 year ago
O.K., maybe what I explained to you was a bit over your head.
davidhamann0606 1 year ago
@davidhamann0606
I've just been able to add reply comments. I do appreciate all of yours -- discussion on this issue is important. But the new (in many cases, 21st century) brain and addiction-related research/brain scans shows addiction (to drugs or alcohol) to be a brain disease. There are several contributing risk factors for developing the disease, but it's the chemical and structural changes in the brain caused by substance abuse that makes one especially vulnerable to those risk factors.
breakingthecycles 1 year ago
Ofcourse its physical and mental. Its a chemical imbalance inwich confirms "PHYSICAL". Its a chemical imbalance that alters the mind to keep drinking. That is a disease physical disease. Those with the proper chemical dopamine have no need to continue drinking. Those without it are addicts, in constant search for dopamine that their body does not produce properly. If your body did not reproduce skin cells correctly, wouldnt you concider that a skin disease? Think about it. WOW... lol
davidhamann0606 1 year ago
It's extremely hard for smokers to stop smoking and it can kill them but that dosen't qualify as a disease.
I still not sure about calling addiction to alchohol a disease.
SeanCarols00 1 year ago
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@SeanCarols00 Ofcourse its physical and mental. Its a chemical imbalance inwich confirms "PHYSICAL". Its a chemical imbalance that alters the mind to keep drinking. That is a disease physical disease. Those with the proper chemical dopamine have no need to continue drinking. Those without it are addicts, in constant search for dopamine that their body does not produce properly. If your body did not reproduce skin cells correctly, wouldnt you concider that a skin disease? Think about it.
davidhamann0606 1 year ago
Pay attention to the binary thinking here. They contrast the disease model to that of a generalized moral weakness. Did you catch the false dichotomy? Making bad choices is not a sign of moral weakness any more than it is a disease. It's just a weakness or mistake in one area of a person's life. Real people do have strengths & weaknesses, but the recovery industry ignores this excluded middle and describes the issue in all or none terms. Doesn't that make you suspicious?
prschuster 1 year ago
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@prschuster Ofcourse its physical and mental. Its a chemical imbalance inwich confirms "PHYSICAL". Its a chemical imbalance that alters the mind to keep drinking. That is a disease physical disease. Those with the proper chemical dopamine have no need to continue drinking. Those without it are addicts, in constant search for dopamine that their body does not produce properly. If your body did not reproduce skin cells correctly, wouldnt you concider that a skin disease? Think about it.
davidhamann0606 1 year ago
Alcoholism is NOT a Disease.
If you claim it is then:- it is the only disease that is openly sold in bottles.
It is the only disease that is advertised on TV - encouraging people to drink the stuff.
It is the only disease that earns money for the government.
STOP PROMOTING and STOP DRINKING IT.
JudgeD007 2 years ago
Addiction is a chronic relapsing brain disease. So you are correct - it does not come in bottles. Others are also correct in that a person chooses to start drinking. But for a number of reasons, when a person crosses the line from alcohol abuse to addiction, they have altered the chemical and structural make-up of their brains and can no longer 'control' their drinking behaviors, nor how much they consume, as long as they drink ANY amount of alcohol, because they now have a brain disease.
breakingthecycles 2 years ago
LOL, they don't have a brain disease, or any disease of that matter. that's natural for your body to alter chemicals when anything is digested. when you eat, you chemical structure shifts. it's not a disease. you saying it is a disease makes it much harder for alcoholics to quite drinking you bastard.
sk8forlife90 2 years ago
listen up numb nut, what makes it a disease is how the chemicals in the brain of alcoholics take to alcohol. The chemicals that are changed when alcoholics drink are different from the chemicals of a non-alcoholic. Thats why you see some people can walk away from a unfinished glass of alcohol. The alcoholics brain doesnt work that way, their brain regersters alcohol in a total different way. And that is the disease...
davidhamann0606 1 year ago
Yeah, they feel that they need to drink. but there is nothing physically controlling your body. So what if your brain regesters something differently? that doesn't constitute a disease. many things are regestered differently, but dont have a negative impact.
steel5w 1 year ago
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@steel5w Ofcourse its physical and mental. Its a chemical imbalance inwich confirms "PHYSICAL". Its a chemical imbalance that alters the mind to keep drinking. That is a disease physical disease. Those with the proper chemical dopamine have no need to continue drinking. Those without it are addicts, in constant search for dopamine that their body does not produce properly. If your body did not reproduce skin cells correctly, wouldnt you concider that a skin disease? Think about it.
davidhamann0606 1 year ago
@steel5w When I say register, I dont mean thought or choice, I mean phyically and chemically.
davidhamann0606 1 year ago
@steel5w Since when the brain doesnt control the body?
davidhamann0606 1 year ago
@davidhamann0606 Yeah, so do I. Expossure to something that often will alter chemical and physical responses. Just like building up an immunity to poison ivy. But just because it's in a bad way, it's a disease?
And the brain obviously does control the body. I mean that you still have a free will. THere are no spirits possessing your body. You are still the one picking up the bottle.
steel5w 1 year ago
The chemical imbalance is their from birth, its not caused by exposure to anything."Cronic Deppression" is a disease... Let me define the meaning for you...: Definitions of disease on the Web:
an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioningdisease (plural diseases)(pathology) An abnormal condition of the body or mind that causes discomfort or dysfunction; distinct from injury insofar as the latter is usually instantaneously disease... WOW...LOL!!
davidhamann0606 1 year ago
disease—a state in which a function or part of the body is no longer in a healthy condition.
davidhamann0606 1 year ago
@davidhamann0606 a lot of people have low dopamine levels, thats natural, thats what makes people depressed. when you drink it releases dopamine in higher concentrations. an alcoholic drinks often, not allowing their dopamine levels to replenish, causing them to be depressed, so they drink more to try and fix the problem which at that point is impossible. alcoholism is not a disease.
sk8forlife90 1 year ago
@sk8forlife90 Ofcourse its physical and mental. Its a chemical imbalance inwich confirms "PHYSICAL". Its a chemical imbalance that alters the mind to keep drinking. That is a disease physical disease. Those with the proper chemical dopamine have no need to continue drinking. Those without it are addicts, in constant search for dopamine that their body does not produce properly. If your body did not reproduce skin cells correctly, wouldnt you concider that a skin disease? Think about it.
davidhamann0606 1 year ago
@breakingthecycles wow you just want to blame anything else but your own decision don't you?
Picking up a bottle, unscrewing the cap, then bringing that bottle to your lips, and drinking the fluid, that is a series of CHOICES that you made. You are responsible for your decisions and your choices and you CHOSE to drink. Don't start calling it a disease just to completely deny your own responsibilities in fucking your own life up. You are to blame for your own decisions. Grow a spine.
ccheng21 1 year ago
No, not the same at all.
It is IMPOSSIBLE to become an alcoholic without DECIDING to drink, without DECIDING not to stop.
Ppl stop being alcoholics when they want to stop more than they like the addiction. Ppl cant just stop having aids, or cancer.
Its a choice and any one who thinks otherwise has an alternative motive, probebly lack of responsability and guilt. Its immature in the extreem.
Can addictions effect the brain? Yes and if they stop the brain goes back. Its not a disease.
Morethanenough1 2 years ago
Disease-noun-. a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment.
Morethanenough1 2 years ago
Addiction-noun- the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma
Morethanenough1 2 years ago
It is NOT a disease! God ppl, how pathetic do you have to be to get rid of this amount of personal responsability and self respect?
Alcoholism is an addiction. Cancer is a disease.
Morethanenough1 2 years ago
Addiction is a disease as defined by the World Health Organization, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute on Drug Addiction, the American Medical Association and the American Society of Addiction Medicine, to name a few.
breakingthecycles 2 years ago
So? Some morons in the medical industry can't be wrong? LOL
Sorry but any one with a brain and not wanting to publish some report to make a name for themselves knows addictions are NOT diseases.
So watching too much t.v. is a disease? Cleaning too muh? Being addicted to eyedrops? WOW there are SO many diseases! hehe.
Morethanenough1 2 years ago
Smoking is an addiction as well and it can result in lung cancer. Are you saying that smokers are suffering from diseases?
I think it's unfair too state things like these as a disease when there really are people who actually suffer from Aids, Cancer, Tubercoulosis....
MannyGrizzly1 1 year ago
@breakingthecycles Just because a bunch of douches identify a lack of will power as a disease doesn't make it so.
need1more1sugar 1 year ago
If you can get rid of it by doing nothing, its not a disease. Just stop drinking cold turkey lol. I did it with cigarettes and it was a joke. almost a pack a day for 2 years too.
lastmondaypast1 2 years ago
Alcoholism Is NOT A Disease
There are three different things that can happen with the human body:
Addictions:
Alcohol, Cocain, Methanpheamines
Disorders:
Asthma, Diabetes or Alzheimer's
Diseases:
small pox, ebola, polio
Alcoholism Is NOT A Disease
Socoolscienceshow 2 years ago
If you are not one stop trying to understand what this sickness is cause you will never will. But also abstain fro comenting things that u dont understand will never will. I got it genetic and i am not really happy that i have it, i dont deserve this cause i dont even enjoy it. now i just know that i cant drink, and my sickness will be here, i ll just try to keep it inactive. thts all i can do but it is a damn sickness
karioka2 2 years ago
Disease, my arse! It's no more a disease than wearing your shoes on the wrong feet.
godlessweasel 2 years ago
The brain scans show damage and changes from years of abuse. This does not denote "disease", and I dare you or anybody to prove me wrong.
But no matter what, if a person really wants sobriety, help is available. People who truly want to quit do.
LifeSoberBobby 2 years ago
In respone to cheng21. Can you catch Asthma, Diabetes or Alzheimer's?
'People with a variant of the dopamine receptor gene known as DRD2 are more prone to excessive alcohol use, than those who lack the gene, the BBC reported March 1'
'Studying more than 2,000 kids, scientists have pinpointed a gene called ORMDL3, which was found at higher levels in the blood cells of kids with asthma' BBC
Are you starting to get the picture? This isnt about your opinion, its science. Argument over.
scribbins 2 years ago
In later articles it was revealed that the genetic marker appears to have little to do with becoming an alcoholic. News stories surface every year proclaiming discoveries of the genetic sources of alcoholism while ignoring the mountains of evidence that refutes such preposterous assertions.
While researchers work hard to prove the disease concept, sound, and verifiable, repeatedly studies refute the impact of genetic predispositions.
Want to be cured? Just STOP drinking for life. You're cured.
LifeSoberBobby 2 years ago
Alcoholism is a disease to people who don't want to accept responsibility for being weak willed.
You cannot catch alcoholism from someone else. There is no medical diagnosis for alcoholism.
If you want to blame anything else but yourself, the true disease you are suffering, is stupidity.
ccheng21 2 years ago 2
It sounds like you are not aware of the new brain research (just in the past 10-15 years) that allows scientists to study the live human brain and understand alcoholism as a chronic relapsing brain disease.
breakingthecycles 2 years ago
it sounds more like you are unaware that drinking booze is a choice.
You're trying to link the choice of drinking to the effects that booze does to you.
Sorry you can't have it both ways. For any of those effects to have any impact on you, you still have to first make the choice to drink first.
ccheng21 2 years ago
Wrong. Most Drs DO NOT think addiction is a "disease". There is NO test for alcoholism. After yrs of drinking, yes your brain can change..same as being angry or depressed..doesnt mean its a disease. Some ppl find it harder to quit, sure, sme find it hard to stop eating...again, difficualty in an issue doenst make it a disease. Calling it a disease takes the responsability from the person who CHOOSES to drink and onto the tax payers. Its rather pathetic.
11visionary11 2 years ago
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Medical Association (AMA) and the America Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) all define alcoholism as a disease. It is a disease just as Asthma, Diabetes and High Blood Pressure are diseases.
breakingthecycles 2 years ago
Right...and so is obesity..bc some ppl cant controle thier eating...and ppl who cant stop cleaning...and those who cant stop excersicing...and those who cant stop texting or ...well anything right? Bc we have NO controle over our bodys and our CHOICES in life...we cant decide NOT TO DRINK...its not cruible...we are just slaves to genetics....wow...thanks for clearing that up:) I just realize that I have a disease..its called commonsenseism...I cant stop being logical and living in reality.
11visionary11 2 years ago 2
My father is a sever alcoholic...he drinks bc he is bi-polar and CHOOSES not to take his meds...even HE realizes its a choice!
Ppl like you HARM addicts by taking away their self control and respect. Its actually quite twisted.
11visionary11 2 years ago 2
What is the test for alcoholism? What are the ricks of getting it if you dont drink? I mean, ppl get lung cancer without smoking or being around smoke...does it effect young and old alike? how many kids get it? What drugs are used to treat this "disease"? What is the recovery rate? Oh wait its not curible.....can you answer thses questions for me?
11visionary11 2 years ago 11
Alcoholism is NOT a disease!!!! its a chioce! Calling it a disease takes away personal responsibility. Cancer is a disease...not drinking.
11visionary11 2 years ago
it is a disease a made up one
but i dont drink so there are 2 points to argue
is it an excuse to drink or me being closed minded
but think about this anything can be labeled as a disease
example being gay was labeled as one so.....................
LuvNotH8 2 years ago
I'm not sure if it's a disease or not but it IS, chronic, progressive
and fatal if left untreated...and is not ALWAYS a choice, you end up losing that choice.
ferbeybill 2 years ago
disease, my ass!
godlessweasel 2 years ago
Claiming that alcoholism is a disease gives people permission to drink again. Listen in the rooms and you'll hear the stories of how their disease snuck up on them, causing relapse. People have no control over disease so they have an excuse.
People do not become alcoholics until they abuse alcohol for an extended period of time.
I was an alcoholic for about 30 years, it wasn'y until I took responsibility for my addiction that I could take responsibility for my recover.
DOS: 8/4/01
raysny 2 years ago
I prefer to call it a sick mind or an illness of the mind. Im alcoholic and have no problem admitting it but I dont use the term "disease". I have madness in my head and it gets worse even without alcohol. I am learning how to cope with it through AA and I find it interesting that people can comment on it without feeling its effects. I would not like to drink, control or not as it still causes pain and death and is very bad for your health.
markbikes 2 years ago
Are you idiot? Although one person does not wake up like that. When the alcholic puts that first drink or drug in them, its not a matter of choice anymore. (Do some research).
gcremz 2 years ago
alcoholism ISN'T a disease. A disease is something like Diabetes or Cancer. You don't suddenly wake up one morning without ever having a drink in your life and say, "Damn...I'm an alcoholic." You can live your entire life trying to stay ahead of diabetes and cancer and still get either. Alcoholism is a compulsory CONDITION where someone just doesn't have the willpower to put the "sauce' down.
Jooasaurous 2 years ago
I am an alcoholic and I prefer to use the word "illness" or "condition". Much simpler and less subject to debate. AA calls it "a seemingly impossible condition of mind and body" , and "illness" and "malady"
In advances stages, other factors come into play - pancreatitis (which alters metabolism radicaly), liver disease, wet brain and hepatic encephalopathy the combination of which take the "condition" to a whole new level. It isn't fun, believe me.
tumescent345 2 years ago
When non-alcoholics have the sheer audacity to claim that they 'know' that this is not a disease, and that it is all of the things mentioned at the start of this video, it makes the alcoholic more likely to drink, out of shame and the stigma attached to their disease. I wish they could experience it for a day. It's like having a disability until you manage to stop.
uniwork88 3 years ago 2
Calling something alcoholism a disease is a permissive action. It removes liability and responsibility from the person who has the habit.
Alcoholism may be an addiction, and it may be a matter of choice. But it is not a disease.
I drink, but I am responsible with it. It does not interfere with my life because I have discipline. Develop discipline and you can conquer alcoholism.
TempleOfSin 3 years ago
I am the strongest willed person I know. But give a person with an addicive personality and early chilhood issues an avenue to escape and you could have big problems. People with good lives never realize this. Life is too good to consider drinking every day to get away from the pain.
klemdog14 2 years ago
Thanks for this clear, strong message. Dealing with a chronic disease like alcoholism takes resolve, support, vigilance - and understanding. Not only for the person with the disease, but also for all the people who share their lives.
pjh51 3 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
truth is there's no such thing as alcoholism/addiction. so-called alcoholic drinking/using is just one expression of a compulsive personality. the key to lasting and satisfying recovery, therefore, isn't simply to stop drinking and using but, rather, to move beyond the entire compulsive lifestye. takes more work than your typical recovery program but well worth it in the end. anything short of this will leave you struggling with depression and anxiety, as well as relapse.
neworldorder65 3 years ago
alcoholism is not a disease
Frances3654 3 years ago
I'd like to add that the brain can change ("heal") once the substance use is stopped. It is a disease that can be successfully treated - just as type II diabetes can successfully be treated.
breakingthecycles 3 years ago
It is progressive and kills which is 2 of the reasons it is a disease.
klemdog14 2 years ago
Great, succinct powerful message! Wondering what causes people to start out as social drinkers and end up alcoholics; what in brain causes that break in drinking pattern.
shellygordon 3 years ago 3
The abuse causes several chemical changes in the brain (e.g., the neurotransmitter, dopamine, and the neuro pathwyas in the Limbic System -- explained in my book, If You Loved Me, You'd Stop!...). When abuse crosses the line to addiction (a complicated happenstance to explain, here), areas of the brain involved in decision making, pleasure, emotion, behavior control, memory and learning have been structurally altered.
breakingthecycles 3 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@shellygordon
"what in brain causes that break in drinking pattern."
And what "in the brain" causes the remission form the "disease"?
Hammersley1967 1 year ago
Clear info on a disease that either directly or indirectly effects everyone! Once a majority of the people get the message that alcoholism is a disease, maybe the cycle can be stopped.
debbiehv 3 years ago
Thank you!
breakingthecycles 3 years ago