i've heard the "but a symptom" line a million times and know that it applies to me as well, but not in the way you described. the alcoholism, drug addiction, chemical dependencywas merely a symptom of the disease that i have, which is the disease of addiction. Other symptoms emerge in me now in spite of a long period of abstinence. Drinking or doing a drug will return to me active addiction and all the horror that comes along with it, but mere abstinence does not "cure" my disease of addiction. It is always with me, and requires daily vigilance and a spiritual program.