It was a good post, sfgirl. And I get your point that you're focusing on the scientific aspects of alcoholism. I studied the subject for a long much to the chagrin of my sponsor. But I felt at the time that it's important to know my enemy, and the knowledge I gained helped me a lot in my recovery. Alcohol not only affects the dopamine neurotransmitters, but also GABA, glutamate, and serotonin neurotransmitters.
And by understanding all this stuff, I realized what I was up against. I began to understand the overlap of addiction, anxiety, and depression. I saw, as you mentioned, the effect of alcohol on REM. I became aware of the influence that genetics and family history have on alcoholism. But dammit, no one has been able to nail down what alcoholism actually is. Why is it that I (and about 10% of the drinking population in this country) cannot not drink.
As to the issue of alcoholism being a disease, I'll go along with the AMA and call it such. If someone doesn't agree, that's fine. It really doesn't matter. What matters is that we're alcoholics and need to do something about it. We have a condition that is primary, chronic, progressive and if left untreated, fatal. Our only option is complete abstinence from alcohol. If we don't stop drinking we'll end up in an institution with Wernieke-Karsakoff Syndrome or in a grave.
So thanks for the post, sfgirl. I think it's important that we understand what alcohol does to the body. Having an appreciation for the damage it causes is a good motivator to get sober.