Alcoholism - a disease ... REALLY?
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Join Date: Jun 2012
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Alcoholism - a disease ... REALLY?
As an alcoholic, I sometimes think I know way more than anyone else, but even I have to bow to the experts sometime.
While there are lots of individuals, groups and organizations that continue to judge alcoholics on moral grounds, here's an excerpt from AlcoholismFacts
Alcoholism (Alcohol Dependence)
The World Health Organization (WHO) ackn0owledged Alcoholism as a serious medical problem in 1951, and the American Medical Association declared alcoholism as a treatable illness in 1956
Alcoholism is a chronic, progressive disease that manifests itself with symptoms that affect one physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and socially.
For the entire article go to the following URL. It's well worth the read.
AlcoholismFacts
While there are lots of individuals, groups and organizations that continue to judge alcoholics on moral grounds, here's an excerpt from AlcoholismFacts
Alcoholism (Alcohol Dependence)
The World Health Organization (WHO) ackn0owledged Alcoholism as a serious medical problem in 1951, and the American Medical Association declared alcoholism as a treatable illness in 1956
Alcoholism is a chronic, progressive disease that manifests itself with symptoms that affect one physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and socially.
For the entire article go to the following URL. It's well worth the read.
AlcoholismFacts
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Join Date: Apr 2004
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This topic periodically comes up.
In other threads there have been papers and such cited and linked to that do not call alcoholism a disease.
There has been discussion that by calling it a disease, some alcoholics use that as an excuse for their behaviors.
Whatever.
Call it a disease, don't call it a disease. All I know is I have 'it' whatever 'it' is. Just like with my diabetes, where I have worked with my doctor to find ways to keep my diabetes in remission, I worked with AA to find a way to keep my alcoholism in remission.
So, for me, to keep this 'affliction' in remission, the first thing I had to do was ABSTAIN, totally and completely. For me, back then AA was the only game in town, so it was AA that helped me.
Today there are many programs than can help a person to ABSTAIN and then learn how to live sober.
Find one that works for you!!!
J M H O
Love and hugs,
In other threads there have been papers and such cited and linked to that do not call alcoholism a disease.
There has been discussion that by calling it a disease, some alcoholics use that as an excuse for their behaviors.
Whatever.
Call it a disease, don't call it a disease. All I know is I have 'it' whatever 'it' is. Just like with my diabetes, where I have worked with my doctor to find ways to keep my diabetes in remission, I worked with AA to find a way to keep my alcoholism in remission.
So, for me, to keep this 'affliction' in remission, the first thing I had to do was ABSTAIN, totally and completely. For me, back then AA was the only game in town, so it was AA that helped me.
Today there are many programs than can help a person to ABSTAIN and then learn how to live sober.
Find one that works for you!!!
J M H O
Love and hugs,
Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Canada. About as far south as you can get
Posts: 4,768
Is insanity a disease ?? Nobody in their right mind would "choose" to do the things I did.... nor fight the treatment so hard.
I need all 12 Steps on a regular basis, not just the first half of Step 1.
All the best.
Bob R
I need all 12 Steps on a regular basis, not just the first half of Step 1.
All the best.
Bob R
Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Clinton, MT
Posts: 255
Disease, disorder, malady, etc...I don't know. The fact is that when/if I ingest alcohol I will lose the ability to moderate the amount I consume.....maybe not everytime, but eventually and there will be unintended consequences.
I simply can't successfully drink anymore.
I simply can't successfully drink anymore.
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 557
Seems, this thread is being taken in a manner other than what it was posted for.
The fact, in my mind, that alcoholism is a disease, is NOT an excuse for what I did during the time I was drinking. I don't use it as an excuse, or as the explain my insanity, then ... or now.
BUT just because, I was not a practicing, God fearing, Catholic, Protestant, or Mormon, etc. was certainly not the reason for why I did these things either. Alcoholism and alcoholics are continually being judged by their piers on moral grounds. If being an extremely morally grounded individual was a sure defense for alcoholism then there would be no alcoholics within church leadership.
So even though, as an alcoholic I sometimes think I know better, I choose to believe that what Doctors, world-wide, who seldom can agree on anything, have decided.
I have a disease, I require treatment to survive. That treatment requires, I clean up my act, and live in a completely different manner than I was doing. It requires I make restitution to the people I've wronged in my past. It also requires, for me at least, that I continually work my steps, discuss issues with my sponsor, go to meetings as much as I'm able and read my big book.
The fact, in my mind, that alcoholism is a disease, is NOT an excuse for what I did during the time I was drinking. I don't use it as an excuse, or as the explain my insanity, then ... or now.
BUT just because, I was not a practicing, God fearing, Catholic, Protestant, or Mormon, etc. was certainly not the reason for why I did these things either. Alcoholism and alcoholics are continually being judged by their piers on moral grounds. If being an extremely morally grounded individual was a sure defense for alcoholism then there would be no alcoholics within church leadership.
So even though, as an alcoholic I sometimes think I know better, I choose to believe that what Doctors, world-wide, who seldom can agree on anything, have decided.
I have a disease, I require treatment to survive. That treatment requires, I clean up my act, and live in a completely different manner than I was doing. It requires I make restitution to the people I've wronged in my past. It also requires, for me at least, that I continually work my steps, discuss issues with my sponsor, go to meetings as much as I'm able and read my big book.
Forward we go...side by side-Rest In Peace
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Serene In Dixie
Posts: 36,740
i'm not concerned about who thinks they have what for whatever
reason. It is my responsibilty to share my ES&h with anyone
who is interested in improveing their life without alcohol...
Would I have found recovery on my own?
Darn if I know....I can attest that my AA years give me a
sense of purpose and joy I've not had before as a drinker
Why in the world would I not share what worked for me?
I so hope everyone finds their recovery regarless of anything else.
And Yes! you really can....
.
reason. It is my responsibilty to share my ES&h with anyone
who is interested in improveing their life without alcohol...
Would I have found recovery on my own?
Darn if I know....I can attest that my AA years give me a
sense of purpose and joy I've not had before as a drinker
Why in the world would I not share what worked for me?
I so hope everyone finds their recovery regarless of anything else.
And Yes! you really can....
.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Canada. About as far south as you can get
Posts: 4,768
The doctors are a weird bunch themselves.
There is a great 4 part 1hr long BBC documentaries on YouTube called "Century of the self". Scary. Sometimes the doctors are the LAST to admit/see the simple truth.
All the best,
Bob R
There is a great 4 part 1hr long BBC documentaries on YouTube called "Century of the self". Scary. Sometimes the doctors are the LAST to admit/see the simple truth.
All the best,
Bob R
1000 Post Club
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Midwest USA
Posts: 2,284
Alcoholism may be a disease but it's not a popular one. Then again I don't see people suffering from cancer out panhandling, stealing from family, crashing cars, not employed ect... It's a disease that is still looked down upon today. I struggle with the question daily of weather I have a real disease or maybe I'm just a horrible selfish person.
Self recovered Self discovered
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Toronto Canada
Posts: 5,148
I am not sure that I am understanding all of this. Alcoholism is termed to be a disease by a group of doctors, and it's a disease that can be cured by giving one's will to a higher power.
Alcoholism causes serious health problems as claimed by the WHO. No comment.
The AMA is an association of questionable history. Its Journal ran advertisements for cigarettes and tobacco for twenty years, a decade research was published linking smoking to cancer. It took them thirty years to finally change their mind and call it 'a serious health hazard'. The editor of the Journal of American Medicine for 25 years was convicted of fraud for taking money from manufacturers in exchange for using the AMA seal. As late as 1998, it was discovered that the AMA had granted the Sunbeam Corp exclusive use of its seal for humidifiers, bp monitors, and other products with zero intention of ever testing them. Sunbeam sued for $9.9M and collected.
The AMA lists alcoholism as a disability and a handicap as well as a disease. Nicotine addiction is also now listed as a disease by the AMA.
I guess I just don't get what is going on here.
Alcoholism causes serious health problems as claimed by the WHO. No comment.
The AMA is an association of questionable history. Its Journal ran advertisements for cigarettes and tobacco for twenty years, a decade research was published linking smoking to cancer. It took them thirty years to finally change their mind and call it 'a serious health hazard'. The editor of the Journal of American Medicine for 25 years was convicted of fraud for taking money from manufacturers in exchange for using the AMA seal. As late as 1998, it was discovered that the AMA had granted the Sunbeam Corp exclusive use of its seal for humidifiers, bp monitors, and other products with zero intention of ever testing them. Sunbeam sued for $9.9M and collected.
The AMA lists alcoholism as a disability and a handicap as well as a disease. Nicotine addiction is also now listed as a disease by the AMA.
I guess I just don't get what is going on here.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Bellingham
Posts: 513
Disease, sickness, psychosis, addiction. For me, the term spiritual ailment makes the most sense. I am a weak person. Things other people enjoy in moderation, alcohol, emotions, I take to extremes. Through confronting flaws that keep me from a rich, sane experience, I see my drunkenness clearer. I was drunk in every way. My life was defined by a lack of clarity. Inside, my only certainty was that I wasn't living right. I couldn't get rid of this feeling, of not being worthy. I tried to think of it as a self esteem problem. The anger I directed at myself was a substitute for self-confrontation. I would rage at myself, but never truly face myself with the help of a saner, more experienced mind.
Now that I'm confronting myself, I feel quieter. I want quiet. I see society more clearly, often reflecting the same spiritual challenge that we are lucky enough to face head on. This is a challenge to see ourselves, to understand the way the universe works. I no longer think I'm exceptional in all ways. I know I'm not worthy for certain things, that it might take years to fix my life. Then again, I know now that 5 months in, clarity continues to unfurl. I don't know what to expect. This is something that must be built one day at a time, and each person uses different building materials.
Now that I'm confronting myself, I feel quieter. I want quiet. I see society more clearly, often reflecting the same spiritual challenge that we are lucky enough to face head on. This is a challenge to see ourselves, to understand the way the universe works. I no longer think I'm exceptional in all ways. I know I'm not worthy for certain things, that it might take years to fix my life. Then again, I know now that 5 months in, clarity continues to unfurl. I don't know what to expect. This is something that must be built one day at a time, and each person uses different building materials.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Posts: 24
Originally Posted by Justfor1 
Alcoholism may be a disease but it's not a popular one. Then again I don't see people suffering from cancer out panhandling, stealing from family, crashing cars, not employed ect... It's a disease that is still looked down upon today. I struggle with the question daily of weather I have a real disease or maybe I'm just a horrible selfish person.
Self recovered Self discovered
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Toronto Canada
Posts: 5,148
The pronouncement published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the one referred to above, was written by 'The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence'. This is a group whose founders include Marty Mann, an early member of AA who began in 1945 to champion this disease concept of alcoholism. Yikes! While the AMA calls our affliction a disease, they have never said what really causes it, unlike other diseases.
Maybe it's a medical psychological or mental disease then. There is a book that is used by the psychiatrists the world over to provide a common language and standard criteria for diagnosing mental illness called The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). They certainly agree that it makes you depressed and anxious, is highly addictive, and all those other things that we know all too well but they refuse to call alcoholism a mental illness. The word alcoholism isn't even in the index.
Maybe then it's a spiritual disease, that's a concept that I understand maybe a little too well. In The Bible we find His prescriptions for the soul's ailments. Here you will see activities such as confession, prayer, praise and service among His ordained means to bring healing to the soul. When these means are combined with faith in the Great Physician, Jesus Christ, they are found to be effective beyond anything else this world can offer. I can't find any info about the millions that have been cured of alcoholism this way, but there is proof that there are over 2 billion followers of The Bible.
These ideas about disease and alcoholism can inform us and help us to make reasonable statements about our addiction.
Maybe it's a medical psychological or mental disease then. There is a book that is used by the psychiatrists the world over to provide a common language and standard criteria for diagnosing mental illness called The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). They certainly agree that it makes you depressed and anxious, is highly addictive, and all those other things that we know all too well but they refuse to call alcoholism a mental illness. The word alcoholism isn't even in the index.
Maybe then it's a spiritual disease, that's a concept that I understand maybe a little too well. In The Bible we find His prescriptions for the soul's ailments. Here you will see activities such as confession, prayer, praise and service among His ordained means to bring healing to the soul. When these means are combined with faith in the Great Physician, Jesus Christ, they are found to be effective beyond anything else this world can offer. I can't find any info about the millions that have been cured of alcoholism this way, but there is proof that there are over 2 billion followers of The Bible.
These ideas about disease and alcoholism can inform us and help us to make reasonable statements about our addiction.
Member of SMART Recovery
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,722
I'm reasonably convinced that addiction is a brain disease.
What I'm totally sure about is that, as with most diseases, there are a variety of different approaches to recovery, but in the US, we tend to focus on just one of those approaches to the exclusion of others.
What I'm totally sure about is that, as with most diseases, there are a variety of different approaches to recovery, but in the US, we tend to focus on just one of those approaches to the exclusion of others.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Clinton, MT
Posts: 255
It's true that we tend to focus on 12-step programs. Probably because they have been around for awhile.
I submit that addiction treatment is in its infancy.
There have been addiction problems since man 1st smashed grapes. There has really only been effective treatment, beyond traditional religion, for less than a century.
Maybe in a few hundred years, we'll have a shot/pill that will fix everyone's obsesive behaviors and spiritual problems.
I submit that addiction treatment is in its infancy.
There have been addiction problems since man 1st smashed grapes. There has really only been effective treatment, beyond traditional religion, for less than a century.
Maybe in a few hundred years, we'll have a shot/pill that will fix everyone's obsesive behaviors and spiritual problems.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 125
There was a time when I was drinking heavy and would not admit it was a disease, I would tell those who called it so that they were copping out of manning up to their responsibilities and actions.
I abused myself for around 25 years now and I'm only 39 year old. Over more recent years I found a change in my mind set to this alcoholism. It has grown another limb, rather than me doing just silly things when I'd had a drink I now feel the full effects it is having on my mental state, I feel unwell like I have never felt unwell before, and not through feeling I'll, I actually feel as if I have a cancer growing in my mind. I do not need to drink every day, I am passed that, I can go 6 weeks without a drink, or I have done a couple of months ago. But then as soon ask put that drop of liquid to my lips my fear comes back instantly, before it has even had the chance to get into my blood, my anxiety is racing, my fear of what I will get up to is intense and it takes me two weeks to get over this, I spend literally two weeks out of circulation.
So if by definition disease is something that is destroying my life, I have little control over and it is making me unable to function at all, slowly killing me, distancing me from civilisation, then yes alcoholism is a disease. It is doing everything cancer does, and I have a little control over it as I would cancer. Infact this seems insensitive to those with cancer, but I'd prefer to have it to alcoholism as people seem to take a step back and feel for those with cancer, they tend not to do so for alcoholics. People might say, 'oh I am not looking for sympathy, I don't need people to feel sorry for me', actually I do, I am smothered and have no security blanket, I have no one I can off load to and they will understand me, I have no one on my side to battle this disease, and it is obvious to me now that I can not deal with this alone. I just go from bad to worse. I have alienated all my friends, offended those I don't even know by doing silly things like living in fantasy land offending people just to get noticed, even if it means that attention is a kick in the head, a slap in the face, it is something, I feel somewhat alive compared to my day to day living when I am just a disaster who doesn't even know what his own mind is thinking.
If they really knew what it was like in my head, I would be locked up for my and others protection, I would be in the critical ward, the intensive care of mental illness. Yes, it feels like there is no worse disease on this earth, I'd trade it for any of them.
I abused myself for around 25 years now and I'm only 39 year old. Over more recent years I found a change in my mind set to this alcoholism. It has grown another limb, rather than me doing just silly things when I'd had a drink I now feel the full effects it is having on my mental state, I feel unwell like I have never felt unwell before, and not through feeling I'll, I actually feel as if I have a cancer growing in my mind. I do not need to drink every day, I am passed that, I can go 6 weeks without a drink, or I have done a couple of months ago. But then as soon ask put that drop of liquid to my lips my fear comes back instantly, before it has even had the chance to get into my blood, my anxiety is racing, my fear of what I will get up to is intense and it takes me two weeks to get over this, I spend literally two weeks out of circulation.
So if by definition disease is something that is destroying my life, I have little control over and it is making me unable to function at all, slowly killing me, distancing me from civilisation, then yes alcoholism is a disease. It is doing everything cancer does, and I have a little control over it as I would cancer. Infact this seems insensitive to those with cancer, but I'd prefer to have it to alcoholism as people seem to take a step back and feel for those with cancer, they tend not to do so for alcoholics. People might say, 'oh I am not looking for sympathy, I don't need people to feel sorry for me', actually I do, I am smothered and have no security blanket, I have no one I can off load to and they will understand me, I have no one on my side to battle this disease, and it is obvious to me now that I can not deal with this alone. I just go from bad to worse. I have alienated all my friends, offended those I don't even know by doing silly things like living in fantasy land offending people just to get noticed, even if it means that attention is a kick in the head, a slap in the face, it is something, I feel somewhat alive compared to my day to day living when I am just a disaster who doesn't even know what his own mind is thinking.
If they really knew what it was like in my head, I would be locked up for my and others protection, I would be in the critical ward, the intensive care of mental illness. Yes, it feels like there is no worse disease on this earth, I'd trade it for any of them.
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