Alcoholism Is A Disease

Brief explanation of the disease by Lisa Frederiksen, author of "If You Loved Me, You'd Stop!" and "Loved One In Treatment? Now What!," available on Amazon and other online retailers or at www.BreakingTheCycles.com.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• alcoholism
• underage drinking
• alcohol use
• alcohol abuse
• addiction

[pigjubby1]

The disease excuse s a drinker's dream.

"I really wanted to stop, but the disease didn't let me."

[breakingthecycles]

@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]

[pigjubby1]

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."

[breakingthecycles]

@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]

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.

[Sept0pus]

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.

[breakingthecycles]

@Sept0pus You are absolutely correct! An alcoholic is the only person who can stop his/her drinking -- the decision rests with them.

[Hammersley1967]

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.

[SubconsciousGatherer]

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?

[pigjubby1]

Soon, racism, pedophilia and murder will all be diseases.

[pigjubby1]

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]

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]

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]

I meant to say, the benefits of NOT drinking...

[pigjubby1]

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.