I know that the medical community thinks that alcoholism is a disease?

Question

but how many people disagree and think the disease aspect is a crock being used as a crutch

I remember watching a Penn and Teller epsiode odf Bull**** one evening and what they said made sense

Cancer , Diabetes , leukemia and Malaria are diseases , as are schizophrenia , depression etc

These are situations where the person has no choice

But alcoholics choose to drink


It is the only "didease" I can think of where the "patient" has full control over his or her destiny


Discuss

Answer 1

well, I guess you could compare it to smoking. It ia an addiction. Yes, smokers dont have to smoke, yet, they are addicted so it is very hard, sometimes impossible to quit.

No one feels bad for smokers, in fact smokers are hated. Even though a lot of smokers wish they were not smoking.

I guess it would be the same with alcoholics or anyone with an addiction for that matter.

Yet, we will classify alcoholics as having a disease, but would never allow a smoker to be labeled as such.

Hope that made sense.

Answer 2

It is a disease because it has found that getting drunk is actually an allergic reaction. Some people get drunk after a couple of drinks, some people can drink all night with no effect. And I beg to differ with you on Diabetes, one DOES have a choice when it comes to contractin some types of Diabetes. Anyway back to alcoholisim. It is the allergic reaction that causes an alcoholic to become addicted and therefore continue to drink. I suggest you go to your local library and check out a few books on the disease and learn something because none of your arguments hold water. And I might also add that Penn and Teller aren't medical experts and their humor is based on "tongue in cheek". You might want to look up that term while you are in the library as well.

Answer 3

I believe it is a disease to some extent. Being close to several alcoholics in my life, i know this behavior inside & out. In my family we have a long line of alocoholics passed down from generation to generation. My personal belief is that it all begins with a chemical inbalance, which causes say depression. Years & years ago there was no zoloft or medication, so people self medicated. Their children then "learned" their behavior.

I believe it is a disease simply from the lack of control. Yes, an alcoholic chooses to take that first drink, but from that point on has absolutely no control. That is the disease. They think differently, they act differently, nothing else is important anymore. Its all about getting the next drink, and thats all their brain will focus on.

Answer 4

If you don't have it, what difference does it make to you what it's called? It's not labelled a disease in order to make people think they don't need treatment; on the contrary, it's labelled a disease in order to make alcholics understand that it's OK to get treatment.

I've known alcholics who have gone without a drink in years continue to admit, "I'm a recovering alcoholic." In other words, the person has taken charge of his destiny, his behavior -- he's not drinking. So why does he still call himself an alcoholic? Because the underlying disease, the condition, the predisposition to become addicted to alcohol remains. His disease didn't go away when he quit drinking; it's just in remission and can come back at any time if he doesn't remain vigilant.

And how is this a Marriage & Divorce question? You should have posted this in Home > Health > Mental Health.

Answer 5

I think the proper term for it would be "addiction", not disease. Clearly, once addicted to a substance, be it alcohol or crack, the addiction can take over an individual's life, and those around him/her. It can behave like a disease, destroying vital organs.

I think that the reason that the medical community labels "addiction" as a "disease" is because it enables them to treat the patients without regard to the addiction being due to their poor choices. This is not to say that a full-blown alcoholic can simply "choose" to stop drinking without intervention, but merely to say that it was a choice to begin drinking in the first place (which ultimately spiraled out of control).

: )

Answer 6

I personally think that it is a load of bull. Every situation where people are choosing to not exercise self control they are now calling it a disease. Drinking, using drugs, sex (nymphomaniacs) are now being called diseases. This is bull. These people all had choices to start doing these things and get their bodies hooked on these things where their bodies now need these things. I agree with some of the things that you have listed as diseases...not others. Depression is not a disease it is a state of mind and you can with will power and the right mind set and even change of living come out of depression...even with counseling, but I would not call depression a disease. But overall I do agree with you. Like I said disease these days is just excuses for lack of self control.

Answer 7

You are wrong Full Blown Alcoholics can NOT choose whether or not they drink; they must.
Plus, recovery (for many) hinges on the understanding of alcoholism as a disease. It is something beyond their control, and it must be treated as an illness of the body, mind, and soul.
Please don;t let Penn and Teller be the compass that guides your life.

Answer 8

I don't tend to think that it should be called a disease, but having been addicted to cigarettes at one time in my life, I understand the pull that an addiction causes you. Someone who has never been addicted to alcohol truly cannot understand the strength of the addiction.
The true disease is the underlying cause of the addiction....what caused the person to drink in the first place, and why are they trying to escape reality?

Answer 9

I think it should be considered more like an addiction such as drug use rather than a disease. Therefore it can be overcome. Although most alcoholics are suffering from depression which can spur the feeling of need for alcohol.

Answer 10

i agree with you 100% that alcoholics have a choice before they started drinking, hteire total control though stopped when they get addicted, now the real problem is addiction, just like with any drugs, once you get addicted, its the drugs that have the control and they become the driver, same is true with alcohol and cigarettes,your body craves the addictive elements of this substance, i was a smoker i tried quitting so many times but failed so many times, until i got sick and made that final choice....my life or my cigs...i guess i made the right choice..now im happy , healthy, and smells good, and nice to kiss