Originally Posted by
amethyst05 
Something finally clicked for me, I'm not physically addicted to alcohol but it's become a psychological compulsion. Just like people with OCD perform compulsive rituals to manage their anxiety and create an illusion of control over negative thoughts and emotions, the behaviors seem irrational to everyone around them, but they feel like they can't stop no matter how much this interferes with living a normal life. Eating disorders are similar to addictions in that they're usually about control too, even though it's a tricky paradox.
So why isn't alcoholism treated as a compulsion? AA treats the symptoms, not the underlying causes.. You're completely powerless over your addiction? No, you're not. How many people has this actually prevented from getting or staying sober? There are many things in life we can't control, our own thoughts and feelings included at times, but we can control how we view and react to them. I don't believe alcoholism is a disease, it might be a mental illness brought on by genetic predisposition and/or environmental factors, but it's not a permanent condition and alcohol itself isn't the problem imo.
So that's my rant, I want to help myself and help others but feel like there's something twisted about the way our society treats addiction.
Alcoholism is both physiological and psychological. Due to tolerance, the spectrum of physical addiction is wide depending on the individual, but eventually physical addiction will occur. As an example, Delerium Tremons (DT's) is physical addiction / dependence on alcohol and is very dangerous and can be fatal. Hallucinations also can be involved.
amethyst05 writes>>>AA treats the symptoms, not the underlying causes<<<
This isn't true, the suggested program of recovery Alcoholics Anonymous is self-examination and it addresses the causes and conditions that engenders alcoholism, usually issues that begin in childhood. The treatment for the symptom is abstinence.
amethyst05 writes>>>I don't believe alcoholism is a disease, it might be a mental illness brought on by genetic predisposition and/or environmental factors.<<<
Disease, illness, disorder, it's semantics. Disease in how rehabs science / medicine categorizes / defines alcoholism, it separates it from other addictions that kill, e.g. nicotine addiction, food disorders, e.g. over eaters , anorexia. In this context, I agree, it engenders organ disease both physiological and psychological. It's a mental disorder. Evidence indicates genetic predisposition, but by definition evidence isn't proof.
amethyst05 writes>>>but it's not a permanent condition and alcohol itself isn't the problem<<<
I agree to some extent, alcohol (intake, ingestion) itself is a problem as well as the symptom, it's a poison. Generally I agree, it's not a permanent condition, but there are residuals with some, i.e. organ damage, physiological and psychological.