Alcoholism - Al-Anon Family Group

cnh502 · Member

Alcoholism

hotrod · ~*Service Worker*~

Hello Courtney Welcome to Miracles in Progress

To answer your question the AMA has labeled alcoholism as a disease This link should answer any question you may have:

STICKY: Why Alcoholism is "categorized/listed" as a disease by AMA (explained)

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DavidG · ~*Service Worker*~

Hmmm... this is a good topic... I am sure Betty you will kindly say If you think I am off-topic. smile

I believe that Marti M. was the person who promoted the model that alcoholism was a disease, or illness. Marti was an alcoholic herself, and being one of the first women in recovery was 12 stepped by Bill W. himself.

I think that this model was promoted because before then heavy drinking was seen to be a moral failing. For people who became addicted will power was not enough. The 12 steps underline this.

There is no clinical test for alcoholism, unlike for diabetes and similar conditions. Some people say the definition has to be made by the sufferer themselves.

Whatever the cause, or the definition, of the condition Alanon does provide support for the family members. we are encouraged to look for the similarities, not the differences.

Courtney, I have just given my own opinion. I am not presenting this as "the facts". So often on our families our viewpoints and opinions were discounted. it is for this reason I have shared mine.

cheers,

DavidG.

hotrod · ~*Service Worker*~

Hi again

I understand and have had a difficult time accepting the fact that alcoholism is a disease. I too researched and argued and finally decided that "acceptance of the idea" is the key to MY recovery. In addition:

. The American Hospital Association, the American Public Health Association, the National Association of Social Workers, and the American College of Physicians classify "alcoholism" as a disease.

In the US, the National Institutes of Health has a specific institute, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), concerned with the support and conduct of biomedical and behavioral research on the causes, consequences, treatment, and prevention of alcoholism and alcohol-related problems. It funds approximately 90 percent of all such research in the United States. The official NIAAA position is that "alcoholism is a disease. The craving that an alcoholic feels for alcohol can be as strong as the need for food or water. An alcoholic will continue to drink despite serious family, health, or legal problems. Like many other diseases, alcoholism is chronic, meaning that it lasts a person's lifetime; it usually follows a predictable course; and it has symptoms. The risk for developing alcoholism is influenced both by a person's genes and by his or her lifestyle."^[34]

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cnh502 · Member

Very well written Betty and David. Thank you for your insight, vey helpful.

The material presented here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method to exchange information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal level.

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