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Alcoholism as a Disease

Alcoholism, also called alcohol use disorder refers to a pattern of alcohol use that

influences a persons drinking in terms of amount and time spent drinking. Alcoholism also

makes a person continue drinking even when it causes problems. People suffering from

alcoholism also drink as a way of dealing with their problems therefore causing more problems.

When alcoholics stop drinking, they suffer withdrawal symptoms associated with addiction to

the substance. Therefore, alcoholism is a disease because of the psychological and physiological

effects alcohol has on human body. American Medical Association declared alcoholism a disease

in 1956 but the debate about the condition has not ceased since then with some people

considering alcoholism a personal choice of immorality. According to the Association,

alcoholism is an illness characterized by significant impairment that is directly associated with

persistent and excessive use of alcohol. Impairment may involve physiological, psychological or

social dysfunction (Mascott, 2013). This paper examines the reasons that make alcoholism a

disease by looking at the effects of physiological and psychological effects the substance has on

users.

There is a criterion for determining whether a person is suffering from alcohol use

disorder. One is considered an alcoholic if they drink more and longer than they intended, tried

to reduce their drinking but failed, drunk for a long period of time, found drinking to interfere

with their responsibilities in the family, continued to drink even after knowing that drinking

affects their family, getting hurt after drinking, and experiencing withdrawal symptoms when

they try to reduce or stop drinking (Niaaa.nih.gov, 2015). Any two of these symptoms indicate

that a person is suffering from alcoholism because they have grown to be dependent on the

substance in most aspects of their lives. Chemically, alcoholism breaks down differently in the
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stomach and has effects on the brain which predisposes a person to alcohol dependency hence a

disease.

Many opponents of alcoholism being considered a disease peddle the myth that people

drink to get out of pain. This is untrue because at the beginning, people do not drink to numb

their pain; they drink to get the euphoric feeling associated with most drugs. Continued use of

alcohol after this then morphs into a disease because of the physiological and psychological

reactions that the substance has in the body. Death rate among alcohol users is very high

especially due to physical health but the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

(DSM-III) also considers alcoholism to be a mental illness especially due to the loss of

control that alcoholics suffers from after drinking (Niaaa.nih.gov, 2015). This is linked to the

chemical effects of alcohol on the brain of users. The increase in accidents caused by alcohol

reaffirms the danger of alcoholism and its consideration as a disease. The economic cost of

alcohol in the United States alone justifies its classification as a disease and not just a moral

failure and character flaw. 10.6 million adults suffered from alcoholism in 2013

(Niaaa.nih.gov, 2015). In 2006, the country spent $223.5 billion on alcohol misuse problems

(Niaaa.nih.gov, 2015). According to a 2012 research, 10% of children live with an alcoholic

parent hence causing problems in the family (Niaaa.nih.gov, 2015).

Alcoholism is a progressive disease that begins with social drinking where a person can

take or leave it. This changes when the early stages of the disease involve sneaking in drinks,

drinking when they are not supposed to, feeling guilty about drinking and getting preoccupied by

alcohol (Mascott, 2013). At this stage, the person will seek alcoholic activities and avoid other

activities and friends who are not into heavy drinking. This is the onset of psychological effect of

drinking where a person begins becoming dependent on the substance. The middle stage of
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alcoholism as a disease is also psychological where the life of the drinker is unimaginable

without alcohol (Mascott, 2013). Here, they also deny that they are addicted but the impact on

their lives is negative. During this stage, the patient may try to stop drinking but they will be

unsuccessful because of the addiction to alcohol and the psychological effects.

Physiological impacts manifest in the last stage of alcoholism because medical

complications begin on the users bodies (Mascott, 2013). Diseases such as liver cirrhosis or

hepatitis begin affecting the person. Also, other conditions like high blood pressure, ulcers and

pancreatitis affect the patient because of the effects of alcohol in the body. Vitamin deficiency is

also linked to high alcohol consumption which can then lead to brain damage such as Korsakofs

Syndrome (Tanner, 2008). All these physiological effects of alcohol on human body coupled

with the psychological impacts which encourage the drinking provide adequate evidence that

alcoholism is a disease and should be treated as one rather than castigating alcoholics as immoral

and sinful. The conservative approach to looking at alcoholism is mostly religion-based and not

scientific because scientific evidence suggest that once a person gets addicted to alcohol, it

interferes with their control and ability to stop drinking leading to impacts on physical health.

In conclusion, alcoholism is widely considered a disease in the United States despite

some opposition because scientifically, the chemicals in alcohol are capable of psychologically

interfering with a person making them to continue drinking even if they are suffering negative

consequences such as addiction, impairment of responsibility in the society and leads to physical

ill-health. The studies on these effects are well-documented thus proving that the mere dismissal

of alcohol as a character flaw is wrong and not scientific at all (Peele, 1984). Besides the

physical diseases that are direct consequences of alcoholism, the substance is also known as a

major cause of accidents hence establishing it as a major source of fatalities in the United States.
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The scientific evidence of effects of alcohol coupled with the grave statistics of its consequences

has influenced the American public to continue accepting alcoholism as a disease that requires

medical attention rather than a moral sin.

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References

Mascott, C. (2013). An Introduction to Alcoholism. Psych Central.com. Retrieved 23 November

2015, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/alcoholism-and-its-treatment/2/

Niaaa.nih.gov,. (2015). Alcohol Facts and Statistics | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and

Alcoholism (NIAAA). Retrieved 23 November 2015, from

http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-

and-statistics

Niaaa.nih.gov,. (2015). Alcohol Use Disorder | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and

Alcoholism (NIAAA). Retrieved 23 November 2015, from

http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-use-

disorders

Peele, S. (1984). The cultural context of psychological approaches to alcoholism: Can we control

the effects of alcohol?. American Psychologist, 39(12), 1337-1351.

Tanner, J. (2008). Physiological Effects of Alcohol Consumption. Brainblogger.com. Retrieved

23 November 2015, from http://brainblogger.com/2008/09/12/physiological-effects-of-

alcohol-consumption/