Alcoholism a Disease?
Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: annapolis md
Posts: 2
alcoholism a disease?
I've watched in my biological family 5 members go through the terrible mental, physical, and spiritual effects of alcohol. Most died by age 30. I feel as my life has been blessed for I found AA, the only member of family to ever do so or even consider it. The others are gone now. A 33 yr old neice drank herself till she suffered irreversible brain damage. She no longer knows who she is, where she is, what time of the day it is, what day or month it is. She cannot function, but still in her sad shape she wants booze all the time. For her own safety, she's now in a locked severe-Alzheimer's ward, though her problem is Korsakoff's psychosis and other alcohol brain damage syndromes. I've watched this happen before my eyes. Unfortunately her mother did not understand alcohol and sabatoged any attempts to allow my neice to take self responsibility for her alcoholism. Is alcohol a disease. The answer is a huge YES.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Luton, Bedfordshire
Posts: 45
IMO Alcoholism is an addiction and not a disease.
This is does not lessen the serious nature of the condition (in the same way as any other drug addiction) but I believe that it is totally wrong to call it a disease as by doing so comparisons are drawn with conventional diseases.
Whether alcoholics like it or not, their condition has in most cases been self inflicted. Of course there are many outside factors that contribute to the problem, but then again there are with other drug addictions as well.
I do not believe that alcoholics do themselves any favours with other members of society by referring to their problem as being a disease, as like it or not many others see it as a bit of a cop out.
At the end of the day it is immaterial whether or not it is a disease so long as a solution is found by the individual concerned and in many ways finding a solution for alcoholism is a damn sight more difficult than for many conventional medical problems.
This is does not lessen the serious nature of the condition (in the same way as any other drug addiction) but I believe that it is totally wrong to call it a disease as by doing so comparisons are drawn with conventional diseases.
Whether alcoholics like it or not, their condition has in most cases been self inflicted. Of course there are many outside factors that contribute to the problem, but then again there are with other drug addictions as well.
I do not believe that alcoholics do themselves any favours with other members of society by referring to their problem as being a disease, as like it or not many others see it as a bit of a cop out.
At the end of the day it is immaterial whether or not it is a disease so long as a solution is found by the individual concerned and in many ways finding a solution for alcoholism is a damn sight more difficult than for many conventional medical problems.
Hope3
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Upstate, NY
Posts: 2,155
I know one of the oldest diseases (lol) in the world, and that is of
ignorance........If given a choice of being an aloholic or being ignorant, I
would choose alcoholism everytime, at least it is a manageable disease..
God bless us everyone....
Hope3
ignorance........If given a choice of being an aloholic or being ignorant, I
would choose alcoholism everytime, at least it is a manageable disease..
God bless us everyone....
Hope3
8===============D
Join Date: May 2007
Location: bloomington ILL
Posts: 4
the def of the word disease
i looked in the dictionary and it said that the word disease means, a pathological condition of a part, organ, or a system of an organism resulting from various causes, such as infection, genetic defect, or environmental stress, and characterized by an identifiab group of signs or symptoms. the second one says a condition or tendency, as of society, regarded as abnormal and harmful. so i think it is pretty clear addiction is a disease. some of you where saying " i wasnt born with this" that dosnt mean that its not a disease in the defantion it says that a disease is regarded as something abnormal and or harmfull. and i would say shooting dope to cope with how you feal is not normal or safe. and it said it can come from evironmental stress. so lets say your dad beat you all the time and hurt your selfasteam, is it posibal thats how you caught this disease. and another way it is a disease that there are signs or symptoms from addiction. like your behavior. if you look at the defantion i think that it is obviouse its a disease. now some scients say that its genaric. and if you think about it might be possable.some people cope with bad things diffrent ways. and mybe thats ganetics. for me it is easier to look at it as a disease becuase i know if i dont take my medication (meeting,step work,praying,) that i will get sick again. im not saying your wrong if you dont think its a disease. thats your right but make shure you do some resurch.and you may inturprit the word diffrently i would love to hear it.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Luton, Bedfordshire
Posts: 45
If, for instance, alcoholism were an new condition and were to benchmarked between 1. Cancer (disease) and 2. Drug Addiction I think most people would agree that it is a little closer to the later in it's nature.
It follows IMO that if alcoholism is a disease, then just about every other chronic addiction is.
Like I said B4, it doesn't matter what it is so long as the sufferer is able to find a way to manage it.
Why do some MB users get so hung up about it being a disease ... beats me !!
It follows IMO that if alcoholism is a disease, then just about every other chronic addiction is.
Like I said B4, it doesn't matter what it is so long as the sufferer is able to find a way to manage it.
Why do some MB users get so hung up about it being a disease ... beats me !!
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