NCJ Number
160636
Date Published
1994
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Alcoholics Anonymous has convinced the public that alcoholism is a disease and that alcoholics are powerless over their addiction; this is untrue, since alcoholism is a behavior that people can rationally choose to control.
Abstract
Prior to the establishment of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and the popularizing of its philosophy, the public generally viewed problem drinkers as morally defective and weak of character. AA has promoted the idea that if problem drinkers are sick with a disease called alcoholism, then who can blame them. This relieved some of the social stigma and guilt that problem drinkers encounter and also had the beneficial effect of attracting many guilt-ridden addicts to AA meetings. The data are now catching up with AA, and it seems AA may be partly right in its claim that problem drinkers are physically different. There are differences between alcoholics and nonalcoholics in their blood chemistry and in measures of their tolerance patterns. Sons of alcoholics tolerate alcohol without motor impairment better than sons of nonalcoholics. It is also apparent that there are different types of alcoholics whose patterns of onset and abuse differ markedly. Degrees of dependency are also recognized. These findings point to the conclusion of the American Psychiatric Association. The medical diagnosis "alcoholism" has been dropped from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual in favor of two others: "alcohol dependence" and "alcohol abuse." By recognizing that alcoholism is a personal philosophy, a mode of thinking that allows one to self-destruct slowly while under the influence of alcohol, heavy drinkers can change their thinking about drinking and recover.