Alcoholism: Disease or Addiction

[Contact]

This was posted in another forum I frequent, and was curious on what you guys think.

This is what I said in the other forum:

In my opinion, alcoholism is something you start yourself, you do not choose to get Cancer, or Lupus, why would alcoholism be considered in the same category with those?

Sure, being an alcoholic is hard to cure, but didn't the person start the problem themselves? The same can not be said for a person with a degenerative bone disease, or Alzheimer's.

Alcoholism does not manifest itself, and medically speaking, can not be caught from another person. Peer pressure, while a bitch, does not cause a person to become addicted to alcohol.

[acreature]

Instead of giving it a medical term, let's be honest. It's a choice, just as drug use.

Had the choice of consuming too much not been made, the addiction would not have occurred.

[Contact]

Instead of giving it a medical term, let's be honest. It's a choice, just as drug use.

Had the choice of consuming too much not been made, the addiction would not have occurred.

So you're saying it's a hobby that has gotten out of hand?

[Bluntforcetraum]

I think that their is other factors that play into the addiction. Like depression, adolecent peer pressure. I don't think that its discriminatory on specific social classes because they all get affected the same. From the bum begging for change to buy liquor all the way to upper rich drinking their $1000 bottles of wine. But obiously the bum has lost everything towards that addiction But they both remain in the Alcoholism catagories.

[acreature]

So you're saying it's a hobby that has gotten out of hand?

I didn't say Hobby. I said Choice.

A legal Choice albeit for a person of age, but a choice with possible understood consequences. Having a beer at a ballgame or a glass of wine at dinner won't addict, IMO... but over indulgence of almost everything will have a negative outcome.

[7mmMag]

This was posted in another forum I frequent, and was curious on what you guys think.

This is what I said in the other forum:

In my opinion, alcoholism is something you start yourself, you do not choose to get Cancer, or Lupus, why would alcoholism be considered in the same category with those?

Sure, being an alcoholic is hard to cure, but didn't the person start the problem themselves? The same can not be said for a person with a degenerative bone disease, or Alzheimer's.

Alcoholism does not manifest itself, and medically speaking, can not be caught from another person. Peer pressure, while a bitch, does not cause a person to become addicted to alcohol.

I would say its a choice, in that yes, you choose to consume the alcohol. However, I also firmly believe that it can also be a disease. A disease that can be passed to the next generation. I say this because of my mother. She is a hard core alcoholic, drinks every day, we havent talked in years, and she has never met her two grandchildren even though they live just four miles from her.

You see, my mothers parents, especially her father, were alcoholics, and it claimed their lives. Now, it is consuming my mothers. This disease will kill her, and there is nothing at this point that can be done about it. In this way it can be caught from another person, in this case, her own parents. She grew up like that, watching and hearing what the alcohol caused (her father was a mean drunk) and ended up going down the very same road. Coincidence, I think not.

[acreature]

You see, my mothers parents, especially her father, were alcoholics, and it claimed their lives. Now, it is consuming my mothers. This disease will kill her, and there is nothing at this point that can be done about it.

Rather than a disease, could it just be a learned action? One that you may not have accepted for yourself?

Kind of like beating your kids senseless rather than just administering discipline.....

[Jellybean400]

I would say its a choice, in that yes, you choose to consume the alcohol. However, I also firmly believe that it can also be a disease. A disease that can be passed to the next generation. I say this because of my mother. She is a hard core alcoholic, drinks every day, we havent talked in years, and she has never met her two grandchildren even though they live just four miles from her.

You see, my mothers parents, especially her father, were alcoholics, and it claimed their lives. Now, it is consuming my mothers. This disease will kill her, and there is nothing at this point that can be done about it. In this way it can be caught from another person, in this case, her own parents. She grew up like that, watching and hearing what the alcohol caused (her father was a mean drunk) and ended up going down the very same road. Coincidence, I think not.

Great post...and i agree.

I really do think medical opinions (based on fact and studies) would do more than our own beliefs, though.

Yeah, its a choice to drink. But i dont know many people who have never taken a drink.

After that, i believe the gene kicks in, whether it be psychological or physical, that causes the addiction, or binge drinking over and over.

Its not a choice when people lose their kids, their spouses, and their LIVES over drinking. At that point, i feel that its a disease that needs treatment. Yes, choice will still be a part of it...the choice to get the help.

[7mmMag]

Rather than a disease, could it just be a learned action? One that you may not have accepted for yourself?

Kind of like beating your kids senseless rather than just administering discipline.....

I suppose it really depends on how one defines disease. I think of this as a disease, in that this learned behavior is slowly but very surely destoying her health (she is in her forties and weighs about 75 pounds, last I heard) and she will eventually die from it.

[Contact]

7mmMag and acreature:

With regard to the opinion that it is a choice;The only thing I take issue with is that people CAN choose to drink, but once a threshold has been crossed, they can not choose to not drink. Thereby, they choose to drink, but they do not make a conscious decision to become an alcoholic.

Remember, we are not talking about weekend BBQ's, we're talking about needing to drink every single day without exception.

[acreature]

Valid points. But self control is the center of it all. If lacking, anything will eat you up.

[7mmMag]

7mmMag and acreature:

With regard to the opinion that it is a choice;The only thing I take issue with is that people CAN choose to drink, but once a threshold has been crossed, they can not choose to not drink. Thereby, they choose to drink, but they do not make a conscious decision to become an alcoholic.

Remember, we are not talking about weekend BBQ's, we're talking about needing to drink every single day without exception.

I very much agree with you. That next drink is more important than anything, or anyone.

[acreature]

Remember, we are not talking about weekend BBQ's, we're talking about needing to drink every single day without exception.

That need would have been manifested over a period of time which entailed consuming large amounts and building a tolerance....


and the NEED comes with the tolerance.

[Bluntforcetraum]

When I was growing up my parents never drank at all with the exception of Christmas. My best friend growing up, his Mom did. she is probabl no more than 100 pounds and drank a case and a half a day. (36 beers) and now she is not even 50 and her body is failing. she was diagnosed with cancer this past winter. The Docs told her it was drinking related and she had to quit then and now. It still took her a month to quit after that.

[7mmMag]

When I was growing up my parents never drank at all with the exception of Christmas. My best friend growing up, his Mom did. she is probabl no more than 100 pounds and drank a case and a half a day. (36 beers) and now she is not even 50 and her body is failing. she was diagnosed with cancer this past winter. The Docs told her it was drinking related and she had to quit then and now. It still took her a month to quit after that.

That sounds familier. And how did your friend turn out after it all? With me, throughout high school, I was very close to going down the same path as my parents. They owned a bar, so the alcohol was readily available, and trust me, I took advantage of that. I thank god for that one day when I took a hard look at my parents, my life, and realized I wanted more from life. I wanted a happy life, to have my own family, and to raise my kids the way I should have been raised. I rose up out of that mess, and moved on never looking back.