Understanding Alcoholism Disease
There are several definitions that are provided for alcoholism. It is commonly used to refer to condition wherein a person continues to consume alcohol beverages despite its adverse effects. In medical dictionaries, it is defined as a disease that is characterized by the difficulty of a person to regulate or limit alcohol use. This viewpoint from the medical community brought forth the rise of the alcoholism disease concept. Clinicians label alcohol dependence as a disease because it can last for several years, can be influenced by heredity and can lead to disability and death.
Alcohol support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) have always stressed that the alcoholism disease is a mental disorder that all affected individuals should try to overcome. The American Medical Association (AMA) likewise, declared that medical treatment and alcoholism intervention is needed to eradicate alcoholism. The National Counsel on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD), likewise, strongly supports the alcoholism disease theory. Experts who support this theory likens alcoholism to other diseases such as diabetes and arthritis since it is influenced by genetics and can exist for a long time. Furthermore, alcoholism is considered to be very treatable and various addiction treatment options are made available to provide support to alcoholics. Treatments under the alcoholism disease concept require an alcoholic to accept the fact that his or her drinking problem is very grave.
Sectors outside the medical society, meanwhile, argue that the concept of alcoholism disease is not correct, as there is no verifiable proof that it is indeed a disease or a form of illness. Instead, they promote the idea that alcoholism is a social choice. Furthermore, they contend that alcoholics can take control of their alcohol addiction by choosing to abstain or limit their alcohol use. Since alcoholism can be treated if the alcoholic chooses not to drink then, it could not be called a disease because diseases do not become healed by force of will. Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald, former alcoholics, claim that alcoholism results from an issue that stems from the childhood or past of a person. Based on their experience, alcoholism can be eradicated as soon as the alcoholic is able to address an issue from his past that may have unconsciously driven him to drink.
A study conducted by the Baldwin Research Institute in 2003 strongly opposes the alcoholism disease theory. Based on the results of their study, treatment based on the alcoholism disease concept had a low success rate of 3% in five years as opposed to 86% success rate after five to ten years of treatment based on teach choice concept. Regardless of the conflicting concepts on alcoholism, both sides recognize the serious implications of alcohol dependence not only to the physical, mental and psychological health of the affected individual but also to society and the economy, as a whole. Likewise, both sides also concur that the most desirable outcome for any alcoholism treatment program is the ability of an alcoholic to regain control of his alcohol use so that he could reestablish himself in the community where he belongs.
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