Alcoholism a Disease?
One of my favorite South Park episodes is an episode where Stan's dad becomes an alcoholic. Stan's dad gets a DUI one night driving drunk and is forced to go to AA as part of his punishment. In AA, the leader in the meeting tells Stan's dad that he has a "fatal disease." Stan's dad takes that statement a little too seriously and begins to drink copious amounts of alcohol because he "has a disease and can't control it." When he shaves his head and hops into the grandfathers wheelchair, Stan finally has had enough, he tells his dad "you just need to not drink so much, it's very simple." Stan visits the people at AA who proclaim to him that his dad has no control of his diease. Obviously South Park doesn't always present the most politically correct ideas, but I thought it brought up some interesting questions about whether being addicted to something is a disease. I know many people might consider it offensive to question whether alcoholism is a disease. My family has a history of "alcoholism," but I like to think that the choice is mine whether I want to drink heavily or not. Sure, I may be predisposed to addiction of alcohol, but I don't feel like that makes me have a disease. The one retort that the people at AA had against Stan's claims was "Alcoholism is a disease because it is a physical dependency, that makes it a disease." But isn't heroin addiction being physically dependent on something? I don't see anybody calling heroin addiction a disease. So why say alcoholism is a disease? All it does it make an excuse for people to drink too much alcohol, and say they can't help it because they have a disease. I understand that alcoholism is no laughing matter, alcohol causes countless problems in todays society. I also feel like anybody with alcohol problems deserves the help they need. But Stan put it best when someone said "Yes it is, Alcoholism is a disease" and Stan replied "No, Cancer is a disease, my dad needs to drink less."
WATCH THE EPISODE
posted by elemenohpee at 4:28 PM
2 Comments:
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10:31 PM
The answer to your question is YES; alcoholism *IS* a disease. According to the website of U.S. Center for Disease Control:
“Alcoholism or alcohol dependence is a diagnosable disease characterized by several factors including a strong craving for alcohol, continued use despite harm or personal injury, the inability to limit drinking, physical illness when drinking stops, and the need to increase the amount drunk in order to feel the effects”.
Not only is alcoholism a fatal disease, but it is also a mental and physical illness. Sadly, the devastating effects of this illness don't end there. The tragic fact about alcoholism is that touches many more lives than just the sufferer's. Families are torn apart, marriages are ruined, jobs are terminated, children are hurt and confused, and on and on.
This topic is very meaningful for me. My grandfathers, both of them, were alcoholics. My Nana (my dad’s mother) had to leave her husband and care for the kids by herself because my grandfather became violent when drunk and could no longer work. He died completely alone, in a trailer park in East Texas, of cirrhosis of the liver. I never met him -he died before I was born. On my mother’s side, my other grandpa, also an alcoholic has been a hard, daily drinker for decades. He has suffered many alcohol-related strokes and is dying of a "wet brain” (a brain condition caused by the long-term effects of alcohol which “pickle” the brain). He has been unable to stop drinking, or even moderate, despite warnings from several doctors that if he drinks, he will die.
My hope is that in sharing my own family's experiences, I can convey some insight into this lethal disease. And as I’ve witnessed in my own family, alcoholism has a poor prognosis. Most research indicates only 5-10% of alcoholics will recover from the disease. For those who do recover, the majority of those attend the 12-step program "Alcoholics Anonymous" (AA).
Similarly, drug addiction is also labeled a disease. In fact, the U.S. Government's National Institute of Health defines it as a "brain disease". Here’s a summary from the N.I.H. website:
“The fact is drug addiction is a brain disease. While every type of drug of abuse has its own individual "trigger" for affecting or transforming the brain, many of the results of the transformation are strikingly similar regardless of the addictive drug that is used -- and of course in each instance the result is compulsive use. The brain changes range from fundamental and long-lasting changes in the biochemical makeup of the brain, to mood changes, to changes in memory processes and motor skills. And these changes have a tremendous impact on all aspects of a person's behavior. In fact, in addiction the drug becomes the single most powerful motivator in the life of the drug user. He will do virtually anything for the drug”.
Unfortunately, a world of ignorance and misunderstanding still surrounds alcoholism and addiction. Shows like South Park send the wrong message to real people who suffer from drug and alcohol addiction. The erroneous suggestion that it is not a disease, but rather an "issue of willpower", is dead wrong.
Alcoholism, despite the social stigma and misinformation, is a deadly disease with no cure in sight. Only twelve step programs, which suggest entire abstinence from alcohol, have been proven as an effective treatment.
Contrary to popular belief, no on in AA will brand anyone as an “alcoholic”. Instead, AA literature provides a definition of the disease and permits individuals to diagnose themselves. Furthermore, AA does not oppose drinking as an institution.
But, for self-proclaimed alcoholics who do want to recover, AA offers a wonderful reprieve. As millions of alcoholics and their families have discovered: hope, understanding, and a new way of life in AA and Al-Anon is possible. I only wish that my grandfathers could have discovered AA before it was too late.
"There, but for the Grace of God, go I..."
Peace.
JR
10:45 PM
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