I think disease is too simplistic in for my wee brain. I like to think of it as a full blown psycho-social-biological syndrome. In other words, we are born with genetic components, do behaviors to enforce these, and then biologically alter our bodies to be addicted. "Disease" is just too biologically based for me to stop there.

I believe "addiction" is the primary disease which leads to everything else that comes its way, a destructive "sickness."

Just my opinion here. Alcoholism is as much a disease as obesity is a disease. Both could just be symptoms of some other disorder. I'm sure I will get flamed for this statement, but I'm sober!

I think we are in a good time in history though, calling it a disease these days gets a lot better treatment that it did when people thought you were possessed by demons.

Personally, I believe that alcoholism is a disease, so does the World Health Organisation so I'm in good company. I don't believe however, that 'addiction' is a description that should be applied to alcoholism as alcoholics are not necessarily 'addicted' to alcohol, neither is it helpful in helping people to diagnose themselves alcoholics, I prefer the much more definitive term, alcoholism.

In my opinion,

Heavy or problem drinking may be symptomatic of another underlying cause such as another illness or situational factors.

Alcoholism is a separate disease which requires no underlying causal factors. It is chronic and progressive.

Alcoholism is not the same as addiction. Alcoholics may or may not be physically addicted to alcohol.

This is what makes alcoholism a seperate disease in that it is possible to suffer from alcoholism in the absence of physical addiction to the substance.

A simple answer YES!

it is a disease.

sheez, this thread is going to go into the 100's betcha. Disease is a good thing to be no matter what because insurance will cover treatment. If it were not a disease you all would not be able to get stuff paid for alcohol related. I know insurance sucks, but it would definitely suck a lot more. I think this definition was made largely because of this factor-needed classification. In truth, it is so much more.

I agree with kk.

Alcoholism is not the same as addiction. Alcoholics may or may not be physically addicted to alcohol.

Glad I'm not the Dr. trying to decipher who is and who isn't and what is and what's not!!!!! :)

MAYbe, the 18 years I drank, because I drank to escape the world, might mean I'm NOT an alcoholic. (?)
JUST addicted. (?)

Sure glad that I at least know, I'm not about to test the theary to see if I have a disease or JUST an addiction!!!

It's hard to say whether alcoholism is inherited, is a disease, whatever. So many people suffer with it for so many reasons. I do believe I inherited it from my father who inherited it from his father, but there are also other people out there who can't figure out where it came from, but I think as long as they realize they're addiction and truly want to do something about it, that's all that matters.

i personally agree it is a disease and i like serendity94 comments too. i never felt addicted to alcohol........drugs yes..........so i thnk what she said makes sense......and the point being that we are alcoholics and we don't drink because of that............

Gette~We don't drink because of what?

I believe it is a disease.
I believe it may be caused genetically or environmentaly or by a combination of both.
Then again it may occur out of the blue.
For me it was definitely a combo of genetic and environmental factors. That explains why I am alcoholic, but in no way does it excuse me from dealing with it.
Once I figured out I had a problem I was 100% responsible for dealing with it. Had I continued to play the blame game it would have seriously impeded my recovery.
To those of you still trying to hang on to an excuse to drink "It's not my fault" doesn't cut it.