Jan 27
Medically speaking, is alcoholism considered a diseases or a result of a voluntary action?
ALCOHOLISM ADDICTION Add comments
Out of curiosity.
The way I see it, genetics may predispose a person to drink as much at it predisposes some people to over eat like myself. Yet I choose to limit my food intake and the same for a person to drink. I feel it’s about responsibility and choice. I don’t understand having a lack of responsibility and the choice of making the wrong decision is considered a full blown disease.
This is a known disease.
alcoholic is the biggest drug going and destroys family’s marriage’s jobs and self respect and IT IS A ILLNESS THAT COST THE HEALTH OF ALL NATIONS MILLIONS EACH DAY LIKE DRUGS,, AND i am a ALCOHOLIC and sober 37 YEAR in ALCOHOLICS , Anonymous, THEY HELP WITH SUCH PROBLEMS ,see its web page
Disease. Drinking is a voluntary action, but the development of alcoholism is not. Also, a person’s risk of developing alcoholism depends on more than just how frequently or how much they drink.
Alcoholism is a disease. People can become both physically and psychologically addicted to alcohol. At that point they need help to resolve the situation and there can be serious medical consequences to both continue to use alcohol and go just get off alcohol, cold turkey. No one in a relationship with an alcoholic should allow the addicted person to ruin their lives. Get help through alcoholics anonymous. They have help both for addicts and for friends and family. Drinking alcohol stops being a voluntary action once you become addicted to it.
Im guessing a little bit of both. Im sure it may start out as a voluntary action. At this point most people are able to control the amount consumed and know when to stop. Unfortunately, many other lack this capability and the numbing effects out-weight the risks for them. They become alcoholics. Another point is that alcoholism is in fact a substance abuse/addiction and any addiction is considered a mental disorder.
Medically speaking, alcoholism is a disease. One could argue that taking the first drink is voluntary (but that’s another discussion). After the drink, however, it takes over. You keep going and going. That’s the medical (withdrawal and/or craving). Psychologically, it’s also a disease. I guess the only voluntary action -trying to answer your question- is taking that FIRST drink.
In support of my medical side of the argument, there is a “trapdoor” effect with alcohol, also. If you haven’t had a drink in, say, 20 years then suddenly go get yourself some alcohol. That 20 years, for the majority of people, puts them at the beginning. It’s called the “trapdoor effect” (don’t know if that’s a medical term, but Iearned this in rehab and have heard it quite a few times since).
Basically, the trapdoor effect is explained like this: When you drink alcohol to feel good, your brain doesn’t have to produce much (if any) of it’s own feel good drugs (seretonin, dopamine, etc.). As you sober up, you DO experience withdrawal because your body isn’t producing it’s own “feel-good” chemicals but YOU, while sobering up, are also not introducing the artificial feel-good drug of alcohol. Hence, one of the manifestations of withdrawal (on top of everything alcohol sucks out of your system (b-vitamins, pottasium, etc.). Well, as you sober up over the months and years, your body builds up its stores of its own feel-good chemicals (dopamine, seretonin, etc.). The trapdoor effect, as explained to me (by a Dr. Windsor, addiction specialist (and m.d.) was after 20 years of sobriety, if an alcohol falls off the wagon, those stored up natural feel-good drugs fall through the “trap-door” and you are VERY QUICKLY back where you left off 20 years of sobriety. We are talking possibly during the same night of the falling off the wagon. Not years down the road, not months, but days, hours or minutes, hence the name “trapdoor effect”
I will state again, I don’t know if that’s actually a commonly used term (trapdoor effect), but that’s the way it was explained to me and it makes sense.
Hope this information somehow answered your question. I’m not worried about being the best answer. It’s just information I felt you should know because if you’re asking such a question, you’re asking for a reason. Perhaps yourself, a relative or a friend. Best of luck to you!
Shawn
Essentially, it is both.
You chose to try a beer when you first tasted the alcohol. But afterwards, a chemical process in the brain takes over and it becomes extremely difficult to resist the addiction.
I am not a psychiatrist, but I do read a lot.
The truth is, every “addiction” and mental health problem is physical. It’s physical because it’s caused by a chemical process in the brain.
It isn’t someone’s “fault” that they have addiction or any other mental health issue, but it becomes up to them to seek help and follow through with their treatment.
In the end, it’s an awful illness, but it can be treated. And that treatment starts with the person’s cooperation.
ALCOHOLISM IS NOT A DISEASE!!!!!! people wern’t born this way. They CHOSE to drink that beer or wine or whatever. and they CAN CHOOSE to stop drinking it too. there is nothing medical about it!
The American Medical Association considers alcoholism a disease. There’s more information on the Recovery Connection site : http://www.recoveryconnection.org/addiction/alcoholism.php . hope this helps.