Is Alcoholism a Disease?

Yes, alcoholism most certainly is a disease. The craving that an alcoholic feels for alcohol can be as strong as the need for the basics like food or water. An alcoholic will continue to drink despite serious family, health, or legal problems!!!

Experts agree alcoholism is a disease, but it doesn’t act like one!

Alcoholism is a chronic progressive and sometimes fatal disease with symptoms including a strong need to drink despite negative consequences, such as serious job or health problems. Fortunately, it is a highly treatable condition; the main treatment for alcoholism is to stop drinking alcohol. This can be difficult, because most people who are alcoholics feel a strong desire for alcohol after they stop drinking. To make matters worse, generally it denies it exists and resists treatment. It is a mental obsession that causes a physical compulsion to drink. The progression of the disease is so subtle and normally takes place over an extended period of time that even the alcoholic fails to notice the point at which they have lost control and alcohol has taken over their lives.

When habits such as drinking come to dominate daily life and people find themselves powerless to stop the chaos despite many promises to do so, then it is very likely that an addiction is active. Addictions can be formed to any activity or behaviour which allows people to escape from life and its problems and includes shopping or spending, sexual activities, gambling, food, prescribed and illegal drugs, alcohol and even other people. There is a growing problem with alcohol abuse.

Alcoholism is surrounded by stigma and judgmental thinking, this is based on ignorance as generally people don’t understand addictions. People feel ashamed to be an alcoholic as they feel they will be considered weak and bring shame on themselves and their family and that they have no self control. The fact is that alcoholism is an illness – both physical and psychological –no one has a choice about whether or not they become an alcoholic, the same as other people don’t have the choice whether they get cancer, diabetes or heart disease.

Mental Obsession

Do you ever have a song playing over and over in your head? It might have been an advert jingle you heard on tv or a song from the radio, but it kept playing and playing.

Seem familiar? No matter what you did, that tune kept on playing. You could try to sing another song or turn on the tv or radio, but the one in your head just kept on going. There was something going on in your head that you didn't put there and, no matter how hard you tried, you just couldn't get it out!

That is an example of a simple mental obsession - a thought over which you have absolutely no control. Such is the nature of the disease of alcoholism. When the drinking "song" starts playing in the mind of an alcoholic, he or she is powerless. They didn't put the song there and the only way to get it to stop is to take another drink.

The alcoholic's mental obsession with alcohol is much more subtle than the song playing example. The chances are they may not even know it's there. All he or she knows is suddenly they have an urge to take a drink - a physical compulsion to drink.

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