Do YOU class ALCOHOLISM as a DISEASE???

Answer 1

This question is asking for personal opinion so that is what you will get from me. I do understand that other people's opinions will differ from mine and that perhaps they are more technically correct.

Alcoholism is an incurable disease as if it is left untreated it will cause serious debilitation and eventually death of the sufferer. The sufferer is never cured, but the disease can be arrested, put on hold, paused, while the sufferer makes a determined effort to keep the disease at bay.

Like other addictions it is a disease that can only be treated by the determined efforts of the sufferer and no one else. Counsellors, Alcoholics Anonymous, Psychologists can all assist a sufferer to find the recovery path that they must stay on but none of them can cure, fix or heal the alcoholic, only the alcoholic with their assistance can do that for themself.

Like cancer, parkinsons, influenza the person with alcoholism is sick, however unlike them the alcoholic can choose to recover. The power to recover, which for an addiction is an ongoing lifelong process, lies directly in the heart, mind, and soul of the alcoholic.

Recovery from an addiction is damn hard work, it really is a matter of the alcoholic deciding that the work is worth it in the long run.

If there is an alcoholic or other addict in your family here are some tips on what to do and how to cope.

accept that their addiction belongs 100% to them that means it really is up to them what they do about it. It is a waste of energy to try and stop them from drinking, make them drink certain amounts or at set times etc. Your energy is better spent on other things.

set firm boundaries and stick to them. I told an alcoholic partner that I was fine with him drinking, it is his life, his body, his addiction, BUT when his drinking affected my children or if they got hurt at all he was out on his ear. Don't get me wrong I loved the man with all my heart. I understood he couldnt help doing what he did until he learned another way. I also understood that haveing a disease does not excuse him from anything. His drinking affected my kids and I tossed him out. I cried for weeks at the loss of this relationship and searched my soul for an answer but I knew that the answer was I could not accept alcoholism as an excuse for bad behaviour and I could not let my kids think it was okay to behave that way.

Do not accept violence or abuse in any form. I once asked my mother why she left my father and her response was "My kids are better off with one half sane parent than two insane parents." and she was right. My mother was giving us a chance to see life another way. While she stayed with and accepted my fathers abuse and violence we kids had two insane parents. When she left my father we had one half sane parent, she never did recover fully from his abuse. So my advice is get out while you can, get out while you still have your mind, get out as early as you can. There are no medals for being loyal to an abusive partner.

Dont get stuck in the "Oh but he doesnt really mean it. afterall it is a disease" kind of thinking. Yes it is a disease and only one person on earth can control that diseases progress, the alcoholic. We all know he doesn't mean it. We all know it is an illness. We all should still not accept that as an excuse for cruelty, abuse, or violence. The answer is for the alcohollic to choose to do things differently. Don't martyr yourself or your kids.

Be honest and straighforward with the alcoholic. If my former partner said to me "I'm a little pissed." I would say to him "No. You are very pissed." If he said "Sorry I got drunk last night." I would say "You have been drunk nearly every nght and you are not nearly as sorry as I am." If he asked me to ring his boss to say he was sick I would tell him. "I will ring your boss but I will tell him the truth. You are hungover. Of course you could always ring your boss yourself and lie for yourself."

When they do make a genuine cry for help do your part, that is locate a choice of places they can go to for help and then leave the information with them. When my former partner rang me a week after our break up and begged for me to help him find a live in rehab centre, I knew his cry was genuine and all I did was to use the phone book to ring around to rehab centres to find one with a vacancy then gave him the phone number of the one with a vacancy. He did the rest. He is still in rrecovery today and I do have a sense of pride in him and although I gave him one chance after he came out of rehab I still did not accept bad behaviour and he messed up and we broke up. Much to his credit he stayed sober through the break up and has now moved on to make a life for himself. I was pleased to hear recently he has a new partner and has found his happiness.

Yes alcoholism is a disease and the cessation of drinking is only a small part of the recovery process.

Answer 2

Alcoholism is actually a syndrome but is now considered to be a disease since the thinking is that what triggers some people to develop this condition could be a disease.
As previously stated the flu is considered to be a disease, something transmitted or contagious, cancer is not a disease but a malignancy within an individual and Parkinson's is a degenerative nerve disorder. Neither of these is a disease as they are not transmissible or contagious.

Answer 3

Because all chronic diseases, if left untreated, will progress, worsen and eventually become fatal. That's a disease. Addiction to anything is a disease. Is there a cure? No. Is it treatable? Absolutely. If you're an alcoholic, there is never going to be a reason (for the rest of your life) to EVER take another drink. Never.

It IS a disease: http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/info2/a/aa022697.htm

Answer 4

This issue is debated many times over but IMO, it is not a disease. A disease is defined as "a condition of the living animal or plant body or of one of its parts that impairs normal functioning and is typically manifested by distinguishing signs and symptoms." Therefore, many people will debate that alcohol impairs the normal functioning of the body but this debate can be extend to many many other everyday factors performed by our daily routines.

Technically, what we eat can impair the normal function of our body as well...is it a disease to eat ? Hardly. It is a choice of what we eat and drink. People CHOOSE to drink alcohol being well aware of the consequences of doing so. A disease does not make us choose what we consume. People with problems associated to alcohol are looking for an excuse and calling it a disease, since after all, we live in a blaming society.

You may have also heard or read that alcoholism is hereditary. It's not hereditary but more environmentally learned, Children are the greatest imitators of life and habits. They learn the habits of their parents and assume their lifestyle is the correct lifestyle to live. Viewing an alcoholic parent appears to be the norm for many children who see it daily. Therefore, they eventually do the same as they grow older.

The bottom line is simple....be accountable for your own actions. It's nobody else's fault for what you do to yourself.

Answer 5

I do not like to classify it as a disease. It is an addiction and a problem, but not a disease. A disease is something you get or catch, like leukemia, the flu, Parkinson's. It is something that is medically and physically beyond your control. Alcoholism is controllable and occurs because of something you do(drinking all the time and letting alcohol control your life).

Answer 6

It is a disease I believe. Goto your local book store and look up in the medical or health section and find a book that lists diagnosis codes for care plans etc. I believe it is considered one.

Answer 7

It's an addiciton, since alcohol is a drug. I have a friend who I consider an alcoholic. He says he doesn't have a problem. Well guess what? He's lost his wife, his job and now he's homeless because of his drinking.

Answer 8

So people do not ought to take duty for his or her strikes and truthfully do something to assist themselves. If that's a "ailment", firms can prey on people's weaknesses by ability of pushing drugs and producing salary. additionally, classifying it as a ailment supplies it greater interest so perhaps we are able to awaken and comprehend how lots of a persistent issue alcohol abuse incredibly is.

Answer 9

yes, alcohlism is a disease. I am an alcoholic.and if I dont take my medicine every day{ A.A.} I will certainly die.