A summary of arguments about the disease concept (DC) of alcoholism
DC Advocates:
- The addiction disease concept should be embraced for both its social and
personal utilities. - It conveys the seriousness of alcoholism/addiction to those suffering from it and to the public at large.
- It designates public health authorities as the agents responsible for the prevention and treatment of the condition and encourages the development of local facilities for the treatment of addiction.
- The DC replaces moral censure and criminal punishment of the alcoholic/addict with unprejudiced access to health care institutions. It relieves guilt and increases help-seeking behavior.
- The DC provides an organizing construct through which the addicted client, his or her care providers, and those in the wider family and social environment can understand the nature of his or her problem (disease), the manifestations of that problem (symptoms), the potential causes of that problem (etiology), the natural evolution of that problem (course), interventions that are available to diminish or eliminate this problem (treatment options), and the likely outcome of such interventions (prognosis).
- The addiction disease concept is true and it works as an organizing construct for both the individual and society.
DC Critics:
- The addiction disease concept has survived only because of its historically
brief social utility and the interconnected organizational empire that continue to profit from it. - It should be abandoned because it is scientifically indefensible, fails to provide an adequate framework for prevention, strips the alcoholic/addict of freedom and responsibility, and is misapplied to types of alcohol/drug problems for which it is ill-suited.
- Labeling alcohol/drug problems as incurable diseases is stigmatizing and dissuades many heavy drinkers from seeking help.
- By restricting its definition of vulnerability for alcohol problems to a small group of alcoholic drinkers, the disease concept has allowed the alcohol/drug industries to escape culpability for their product and promotional practices.
- The DC has led to the misdirection of public resources in the areas of research, prevention and the management of alcohol/drug problems.
- The addiction disease concept is not true, does not work and is harmful to individuals and communities.
http:// www. bhrm.org/papers/Counselor3.pdf.