In a way the U.S. government stopped saying it was a disease. Up until the late '80s (Regan era) a person could get disability for being a alcoholic/drug addict. Now a person cannot ever get disability if you have a drug & alcohol history. I should know because I was denied 5 times over the course of 3 years. I had one of the best lawyers in the Midwest. Basically, a federal appeals court Judge told me they do not consider it a disease at this time.