Here's my take, for what it's worth. Why do some want to call it a disease? because it takes away their personal responsibility for their actions.
"Cheesey" wrote:
That's exactly what I was saying earlier, that some want to call it a disease so when they relapse they can bemoan 'whoa is me, i have a disease, the disease made me do it'. I disagree with that.
In the end, you have to WANT help to be helped.
"Cheesey" wrote:
Also, something I said.
I'm not saying it's easy. I KNOW it's not. But a person CAN change, if they want to. Some would rather cop out then do the work necessary to "get better".
"Cheesey" wrote:
Again, something I also said.
Alcoholism is a disabling addictive disorder. It is characterized by compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcohol despite its negative effects on the drinker's health, relationships, and social standing. Like other drug addictions, alcoholism is medically defined as a treatable disease.
Let me try to explain it this way for others to see where I'm coming from on my views. You're on a road (life), driving (living life) and you swerve off (have a few drinks at your local bar) ... there's no ditch (dependancy on alcohol) so you can easily get back on the road.
An alcoholic has dug a ditch [some deeper than others] next to the road so when they swerve off, they swerve into the ditch and it becomes immensley difficult for them to get back on the road. Most of them want to get back on the road, but feel the challenge is overwhelming and the easy way out is to stay in the ditch and drink more until their problems go away.
That ditch is always there, it doesn't get filled in by anything and the alcoholic always sees the ditch, almost taunting them when they are driving down the road. The ditch will never go away.
That's where I'm saying and agreeing with the commonly understood statement, once an alcoholic always an alcoholic. That is the context I think alcoholism is a disease, not a disease as an excuse to drink.
There's so much more to it than meets the eye than the simple "choice" of picking up a bottle or not picking up a bottle. That line of thinking is naive and ignornant in my opinion AND understandable, I fully understand an appreciate it. I truly wish the lot of us could get in a room and discuss it because I think I'd learn something and perhaps my experience could shed some new thoughts for others.