Herc, I'm not triggered or think you're insensitive. When it comes to drug and alcohol addiction I think there are a whole host of other factors that come into play. The addiction is just one slice of the pie. In reality, often the addiction leads to gambling, infidelity, violence, financial hardship etc....That's the ugly side of addiction many want to avoid.
As far as the actual disease, my wife and I have known 6 people that have died in the last 2 years due to purely alcohol addiction. The OLDEST one was 46. Sad.