Originally Posted by lssnheer

I don't think that alcoholism is a disease in itself so much as it is a symptom of a diseased or otherwise dysfunctional personality style. People who drink often have similar problems with other drugs, or exhibit behaviors that are similarly compulsive, addictive, or stimulus-seeking. There are some people who just drink and nothing more, but even then it is boiling down to a mindset, a coping mechanism. Alcoholism may also seem to be hereditary, but to say "it runs in the family," begs the question of nature vs nurture. I personally grew up in a family where addictive, compulsive personalities run like a big red streak across a black canvas, and while alcohol was present and sometimes abused, I know that I am the only one who developed a serious relationship with the stuff. I think that some people like to say that alcoholism is a disease because it empowers them to think of it as an unfortunate birth defect which they are obligated to treat, rather than something they do to themselves by choice, thereby removing a layer of shame.

Just my opinion.