Disease or misbehaviour? Illness or disease? It is taught that alcoholism is a disease,?

Question

... that the weakness for addiction to alcohol is handed down in a person's genes.

On the other hand DUI charges are a crime.

My late lamented father, who I was named after, gave up booze in the last half of the 1950's.

I Stopped Drinking Alcohol in 1981. I have alcoholic friends who appreciate that I don't drink before them or smell of alcohol.

Disease or misbehaviour? Illness or disease.

Answer 1

Alcoholism is an addiction, an addictive disease not in the sense of bacteria or viruses, but is often referred to as being an allergy. and the tendency to become an alcoholic has a familial component.

In the end it doesn't matter so much whether you call it a disease or not. Some people who are not alcoholics object to the label "disease" because they mistakenly think that alcoholism is just a personal weakness and that the alcoholic person should have enough personal willpower to say no. If this were the case, alcoholics WOULD say no, because that would mean that normal drinking would be possible. It isn't. It is not a personal weakness or lack of will power. And whether you call it an allergy or an addiction or a disease, in the end, it matters only what the person DOES about it. Alcoholism is cunning, baffling and powerful, and the "disease" tells the alcoholic not to do anything bc that will mean the bottle will be taken away and that bottle is seen as a lifeline.

The courage to do something, or the situation where the sufferer is dragged into doing something, these are ways a person gets sober. The disease says it isn't necessary. It is, but the person must want it.

It is what it is, but it is NOT deliberate misbehavior. Case in point: a diabetic doesn't chose to be diabetic, and would rather not be a diabetic. The same is true for alcoholics. The fact that alcoholics do things that hurt others,like drive drunk, doesn't mean that they are drinking just because they want to be bad or chose to be bad. It isn't a choice.

"Normies" often don't get it. Alcoholics totally get it.

There is help out there, to anyone who is reading this and thinks that it is hopeless. It isn't.

Blessings,
Lady Morgana )0(

Answer 2

I personally do not agree that alcoholism is a disease I think it a weakness in some people who just cant or choose not to face reality. That being said, I know I am in the minority and that the bleeding hearts all over say I am very wrong.
However I still would like to comment on an aspect of your question.
Your statement " on the other hand DUI charges are a crime"
Now assuming that alcoholism is a disease,that does not give someone the right to endanger others. If someone knew they had tuberculosis for instance, they could not intentionally walk up and cough in your face without risking charges of reckless endangerment. Having a "disease" does not give you free reign to do as you please and since driving is a privilege, not a right, people who drink and drive are making a willful decision to perform an act which unnecessarily endangers others lives, and therefore should lose that privilege.

Answer 3

Alcoholism is an addiction, and yes an illness... or disease, whichever.

they say that some of us are more prone to alcoholism than others -- through genetiics. I tend to believe this is true; however i have noticed those people who have issues with depression or other mental illnesses have a greater risk of becoming alcoholics or addicts of some sort.

many undiagnosed people get pulled over for drinking and driving... some people like to "party" but they aren't addicted to alcohol or drugs.. just unfortunate enough to be driving while under the influence and got caught at it.

take care.

Answer 4

Not necessarily genetic, can be, but most likely not.
There are many symptoms related to drinking problems. Alcoholism is considered a progressive disease, meaning that the symptoms and effects of drinking alcohol become increasingly more severe over time.
Those who use alcohol may begin to show early signs of a problem, then progress to showing symptoms of alcohol abuse; if drinking continues, they may later show symptoms of alcoholism or alcohol dependence.
Nine out of ten primary care physicians in the United States fail to correctly diagnose alcohol abuse even when their adult patients present classic early symptoms, according to a survey by the Center on Addiction and Drug Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

Answer 5

We're all accountable for our actions. I quit drinking several years ago. I'd found myself drinking way too much,way too often. I don't believe in that disease crap, that's just a copout. I'm responsible for myself and all my actions whether now or when I was under the influence of alcohol. I did a lot of dumb things when I drank but they were my fault, not a diseases fault. As long as I keep this in mind I'll never go back to drinking.

Answer 6

A person,s personality is determined by genetics and environment.Alcoholism should be put into the following catagories, misbehavior and illness.If alcoholics learned to behave appropriately while drinking and learn not to drink to excess ever. Their drinking wouldn,t be problematic if they accepted responsibility for their actions.Illness describes the condition better than disease.A disease is associated with illness such as cancer ect.

Answer 7

Though addiction is in the genes of some families, it is not an excuse to imbibe to excess in your chosen form of addiction. Everything in life is a choice. Excess is a choice. People are over ridden with excuses. We have excuses for everything now. The bottom line is to control yourself. If you can't control your drinking then don't drink. It is not an illness. That's just to assuage the conscience of those that go overboard. We have become a society of excuses for our weaknesses. We need to take those weaknesses and make them our strengths.

Answer 8

Your question is one to ponder. Addiction is addiction, whether it be alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, etc. Studies have proven a greater propensity exists in families of addict-type personalities to pass along this type of behavior. Is it environment? Is it genetic? A firm suggestion for those with close family members fighting an addiction would be to avoid substances or activities that could invite such behaviors.

Answer 9

Any addiction seems to have a genetic link.........and then the environment that person lives in can influence this person one way or the other. This is an age old puzzle........no easy answers. I do believe addictions are partly inherited, and party influenced thru the environment we grow up in.