Alcoholism Is Not A Disease But A Choice
Alcoholism is most commonly defined by majority of clinicians as a disease. Although there is a marked difference in the description of alcoholism depending on which viewpoint one prefers, the medical community are one in saying that such an addiction problem is indeed, a disease or a form of mental illness. Alcoholism is categorized as a disease since it could exist for many years, may be hereditary and may lead to physical incapacity and death. Sociologists, however, contended that alcoholism is not a disease but simply, a symptom of a social problem or cultural norm. They reached this conclusion upon determining that an alcoholic is not always dictated by his body to drink and can in fact, control the amount of alcohol that he takes.
According to the Baldwin Research Institute, research has revealed that contrary to what is commonly preached, alcoholism is not a disease but a choice. They further declared that categorizing alcoholism as a disease not only strips an alcoholic of his decision-making ability but it might also prove to be a danger to his health. Based on a recent poll conducted, it was discovered that 90% of the people that were surveyed believed that alcoholism is a disease simply because it was declared by the American Medical Association (AMA) back in 1966 as such. However, AMA apparently made this declaration without the presence of any empirical proof that indeed, alcoholism is a disease.
Apparently, due to this declaration, a multi-billion treatment industry has been created. Because of this, the behavior of alcoholics is given a medical explanation and they are made subject to medical treatments by clinicians. Physicians further claim that disease concept of alcoholism assisted patients in understanding the extent of their problem.
Minority groups disagree saying that such a concept discourages an alcoholic to become responsible. They also said that alcoholism is not a disease because group therapy or meetings has been recognized as an effective method to overcome it. If it were indeed a medical ailment then, medication would have sufficed. Former alcoholics Murdoch and Lilian MacDonald from Scotland argue that contrary to what Alcoholics Anonymous preaches, a long-term sobriety is not an indication of recovery but a choice that an alcoholic tries to achieve from day to day. According to them, alcoholism is not a disease but a behavior problem that has something to do with the childhood of an alcoholic. Based on their experience, once a person is able to identify and do something about an issue in their past, they would be able consciously modify their behavior pattern. They also contended that using the alcoholism is not a disease approach, a former alcoholic may able to drink responsible again. Furthermore, according to a study conducted by the Baldwin Research Institute in 2003, the achievement rate of conventional alcoholism addiction treatment methods is at 3% after five years. On the other hand, for programs that promoted the concept that alcoholism is not a disease but a choice, the success pace is at 86% after five years.
|
