Do you believe alcoholism is a disease?

Honestly, I don't. I'm a big time partier drinker and whatever you wanna give me! It's all will power. I go dry annually for 30 days or more depending on my vacation schedule just to prove it to myself. But I'm special...above all the filth so there's that!

No it's a choice, not a real disease.

Lost my taste for alcohol maybe 5 years ago. Was never a big drinker, its appeal fell off. Tried mixing a cocktail for myself, taken a sip and poured the rest down the kitchen sink. Have seen some horrible scenes with alcoholics I've known. Am not sure if this is an actual disease or not. Certainly it's an addiction.

Alcohol use fucks with your dopamine pathways, so—yes— it can become addictive.

R4, that’s not a disease. You eat chocolate and it will cause dopamine to be released too. Would you call a person who wants to eat chocolate all day as having a disease?

I’m one of the few on DL who enjoys a drink most nights, gets drunk every now and again, can function and hold down a job. Booze is awesome. I fucking love it.

Yes. It's a disease caused by bad habits.

It definitely can be addictive for some people, but I don't believe it's actually a disease. Certainly not in the same context as cancer, Crohn's disease or kidney failure is. I wouldn't even classify it as the same as mental disorders like schizophrenia or bipolar illness. You can lump it in with things like drug addiction, but I wouldn't actually consider that a disease either. I guess it depends on how broadly you want to define the term. I've heard people refer to gambling as a disease which is really ridiculous.

Most certainly I do. Why else do you think some people who drink regularly become alcoholics and others don't? It's because some people's bodies are genetically predisposed to be addicted to alcohol and incapable to stopping once they've started drinking, while other people can drink regularly and realize when they've had enough and stop.

My father gets cramping, gas and diarrhea if he has dairy because he is lactose intolerant. Do you consider that a disease? Some people can digest lactose containing foods for life and others are genetically predisposed to becoming intolerant in adulthood. It depends on how widely or narrowly you define the word.

There's a strong link genetically to alcoholism. If you have parents ,aunts,uncles or grandparents who were alcoholics you should be careful with your drinking. I don't think it's a disease per se I would consider it like smoking , it's a habit you take up voluntarily your body becomes chemically attuned to it and you're addicted. You suffer serious health problems as a result of the substance and it's impact on your body.

Not a disease. Lack of self-discipline. Calling it a disease gives you a free pass to act like a jerk.

R10 the AMA considers lactose intolerance a medical condition, a digestive disorder. A 'disease' is described as an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning. So yes, lactose intolerance is a disease.

R13 I guess it's a disease that affects most of the adult human population outside of Europe and virtually all other adult mammals.

Agree with R11. Always thought of the disease concept of alcoholism as more of a metaphor describing the process of addiction—especially as it ravages families.

It's a physical and psychological addiction - not a disease.

I think it’s generally referred to as “alcoholic use disorder” nowadays, which seems more accurate than calling it a disease. A disorder is something that can befall anybody and it’s reparable through behavioral changes (i.e. not a disease in need of a medical cure).

Isn't alcoholism considered a "self-diagnosed disease?"

Alcoholism became a "disease" when doctors could make money from insurance companies by opening rehab centers.

Some people have a predisposition to substance abuse, especially alcohol consumption. If you become addicted to alcohol, then yes your alcoholism is a disease.

So we can add this to the list of lies we are proud to tell ourselves? Like rape is about power, not sex?

R21 If rape is part of sex addiction, it might be a disease.

Haven't you girls heard of a *mental illness?

No - that's AA speak developed unscientifically over 80 years ago.

AA's structure helps quite a lot of people stay sober - but it's definitely not the end all program. There are no stats as to its efficacy because of how many people drop out and don't use it. You only hear about those who have stayed in the program for years or decades.

However, I don't deny it provides some very good tools for trying to maintain sobriety and other ways of thinking about it or reacting when you want to get a drink.

Alcohol, like all drugs, are a coping mechanism for a lot of people. You really have to get an addict clean first, then dive into the reasons for it.

It's a substance, and like all substances, some people have adverse reactions to it - just like aspirin or other medications.

Addictions usually have a root cause psychologically initially - then some have physiological propensities for addiction.

I do think it becomes a disease once the body is so dependent that it will go into DT's without the next drink. Think Frank Gallagher.

R25 - that's just withdrawal though. If it were a disease, those symptoms would not be temporary.

Addiction may be like a disease in some ways and it has a lot of comorbidities with mental and physical illnesses but realistically, it's its own thing and we're only just starting to learn how it really works.

It’s been defined as a disease by the medical and rehabilitation community in order to destigmatize it for people who would otherwise avoid treatment. Using that word also allows people to remove a certain amount of personal responsibility, something that drinkers and drug users like to do. A better word is addict, which allows the understanding that after many years of use the brain can be rewired to a certain extent so the pathways crave the drug or alcohol. But really, it comes down to will and self control. Even the most addicted alcoholic or druggie can stop if they want to.

There is no real evidence of that R20. There hasn’t been nearly enough time for humans to evolve to have a propensity for “addiction” to drugs or alcohol which have only existed in some form or another for the past few thousand years.

[quote]Do you believe alcoholism is a disease?

In your case, OP, we see it as one of your lesser problems.

R28 - I partially agree with you - but substance abuse can change your brain. And It can develop rigid behavioral response patterns in your brain that are hard to 'correct' or just stop.

In the same way, a lot of anxiety and depression can be linked to these deeply ingrained brain patterns and ways of reacting.

I've posted here several times about my microdosing regimine and how it got me to break out of these patterns of reacting and thinking and rewire your brain to think differently.

Ironically, I do believe microdosing a drug can change those brain patterns and it is being used for addition therapy as well as for depression, PTSD, anxiety, etc. There are numerous studies on this.

We are slaves to our brains - and if we develop negative thought patterns or addictive behaviors as coping mechanisms, it's very difficult to change those.

I think it's one tool in a multi-system approach. There's not one silver bullet - and will/self-control is definitely not the answer. That blames the addict and doesn't take into account the neurological changes and rigid thinking patterns associated with addiction.

Alcoholism can most certainly become a physical addiction and sudden withdrawal can be life-threatening, i.e. grand mal seizures. Unlike other addictive substances, ethanol affects every cell type in the body. The psychological dependency can also be severe and difficult to treat.

Chronic alcoholism can cause terminal diseases like liver cirrhosis, kidney failure, neurological conditions, and is linked to many types of cancer.

Some "functioning" alcoholics can maintain successful careers, live reasonably fulfilling lives, and manage not to harm others, until it kills them or they quit drinking. Doesn't matter how you define alcoholism in terms of semantics.

If you think you might be an alcoholic and can't seem to quit, taking vitamin B complex, eating a high-protein diet, and getting regular exercise might prolong your liver's ability to function somewhat. Wish I'd done that. Have experienced all of the above, despite multiple warnings from routine blood tests.

I don't think it's a "disease" in origin, but the progression of it has disease-like features in terms of the damage it does to the body. I do believe propensity for addiction in general is often genetic, though. Both my paternal and maternal grandfathers were functioning alcoholics, though my maternal one was worse because he was extremely abusive. Both my father and my younger brother have struggled with drinking most of their adult lives, though at their heaviest drinking points, they were still functioning. I rarely drink—maybe once or twice a year. I will have a glass of wine or some vodka at a work party or holiday gathering, but I've never gotten past the point of being "tipsy" in my entire life. Alcohol has never had a big appeal to me and I've managed to bypass any kind of drug/alcohol problems. My mother is essentially a teetotaler and also never had any substance abuse problems in her life; I don't know if her aversion to it is because she grew up with a drunk father or if it's hardwired. Both of my uncles have had drug and alcohol problems for most of their lives.