I think it's a disease - for one reason, it's not a coincidence that it runs in families as it does rampantly in so many - and I think it doesn't matter. At all.
I'm an alcoholic and at a basic level, alcoholism is a condition of my life, and it can be turned into a life of recovery from alcoholism, "recovery" as like others I'd differentiate from "alcoholism" - and that's what matters. Any words or other things that can get me stuck in anger, aggravation, looking at others not myself....any of that kind of junk only serves to hurt me.