Originally Posted by
cynical one 
Addiction is addiction, with the common symptoms of denial, obsession, compulsion, and self-centeredness. Where addictions differ is how they present themselves, drug use, alcohol, people, food, sex, gambling, whatever the repeated behavior despite negative consequences. Imagine if AA was started in today’s politically correct environment, AA would stand for Addictions Anonymous…all addictions would be included and nobody would have a program tailored for their specific needs.
I absolutely appreciate what is being said here, but whereas I can see specific differences between the various addictions you mention, I still fail to see a substantive difference between "drugs" and "alcohol", both in regards to the illness for the addict and the illness for the loved one.
And I just want to say again that I'm not asking these questions because I want to start arguments – I am trying to understand something that is very unclear to me. I respect and appreciate everyone's point of view and it helps me see the bigger picture.