In the medical field, is alcoholism considered a disease or a condition?

To the best of my knowledge, it is regarded as a disease.

I think you are right, DG. I found this in Wikipedia on the disease theory of alcoholism.

Also there is this from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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.

Thanks Dorian. I see it more as a condition and was wondering how the medical field categorized it.

Interesting link Dancegirl, but for the life of me, I can't see why alcoholism and alcohol abuse are different. Both are abusing, and both (or neither) should be a disease. Okay, I know I read the explanation but think it's full of holes. Alcohol by any other name is still alcohol.

Honilov, I think the difference between the two is alchohol abuse is the beginning stage and the alcoholism is the resulting stage. I am now a alcoholic and cannot go back to the abusive stage. If you look up that link on wikipedia that dancegirl supplied, click on disease, there's alot of info there.

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A disease is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions. In human beings, "disease" is often used more broadly to refer to any condition that causes discomfort, dysfunction, distress, social problems, and/or death to the person afflicted, or similar problems for those in contact with the person. In this broader sense, it sometimes includes injuries, disabilities, disorders, syndromes, infections, isolated symptoms, deviant behaviors, and atypical variations of structure and function, while in other contexts and for other purposes these may be considered distinguishable categories.

While many diseases are biological processes with observable alterations of organ function or structure, others primarily involve alterations of behavior.

My thoughts are this, I was exposed to this as a child, and saw my parents doing this. I was influenced by it, as well as I carried the gene. My mom was an alcoholic before I was born, I imagine. I had all my family drinking around me, so it was like it was okay to abuse drinking. That's a hard chain to break, but I did. My son does not drink or partake in any drugs, thank god!

So my question is, Is smoking cigarettes a disease too? Because it sure does fall into the category.

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So my question is, Is smoking cigarettes a disease too? Because it sure does fall into the category.

As I see it, smoking is a disease as much as alcoholism...so is crack, and any other habit that harms the body..

Here's a little truth for you...for years I was addicted to eating flour (right out of the bag), about 5 lbs a week. I sought medical help from a TV doctor, (I was ashamed to face one) and the doctor told me it wasn't a medical problem, and it was something called 'pica'. He did suggest a psychologist, tho. How could alcoholism be a disease, and pica be a condition.

Anyway, I'm sorry you are an alcoholic, and hope you are handling it okay. I finally kicked my habit of eating flour but it was one of the hardest things I ever tried to do.

Anything that is an uncontrollable addiction has the hallmarks of a disease. There is a difference between alcoholism and alcohol abuse in that a person with alcoholism always has it, whether they are ten years sober or currently on a binge. Alcohol abuse is a transitory action. A person may abuse alcohol regularly, but they take breaks from it (to sleep, to use the bathroom, to smoke a cigarette, etc.). However, when they are not actively abusing alcohol, they are likely still an alcoholic.

Perhaps everyone who abuses alcohol is an alcoholic. I am not familiar enough with the diagnoses to form an opinion on this. I do know people who regularly abuse alcohol but do not have the characteristics and dependencies of an alcoholic and I know alcoholics who are aware of and in control of their problem to the extent that they no longer drink at all. So, in my experience, these two things are different.

Either way, however, a person with a drinking problem does have a problem and may need help from family and friends, or from professionals, to come to terms with and get a handle on their problem.

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Perhaps everyone who abuses alcohol is an alcoholic. I am not familiar enough with the diagnoses to form an opinion on this.

I know exactly what you mean, there's nothing worst than an ex smoker judging a smoker, when they themselves did it. So, I myself try not to harp on my loved ones, I just do my own thing, and that is without. Not as fun, but necessary to keep me alive. People have to make their own decisions, you can't make them do it.

Honilov, I just recently heard about the disorder you're talking about. A girl I know while pregnant craved drywall mud, mouth watered when she went into a room being finished. Pretty wild disorder, looked it up on wikipedia, and it may be due to anemia. So yeh, that's a condition that is controllable too, but sustaining the craving. I think disorder,condition and disease are pretty close to being the same thing.
Wikipedia says:

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The term "disease" refers to a disorder of structure or function. The term can refer to a physical disorder, such as diabetes, or to a mental disorder, such as schizophrenia. Diseases can be short-lived, such as the common cold, or life-long, as in sickle cell anemia.

In the case of alcoholism, research has demonstrated both genetic and environmental contributors to the development of a condition that carries significant physical morbidity. Such factors as a typical course and well-described epidemiology (the incidence and prevalence of the condition) also contribute to the establishment of a disease entity.

I think there is a huge difference between abuse and addiction...in my late teens early twenties we would all abuse booze by binge drinking but we didn't do it often and I never NEEDED a drink and the drinking never effected my work or relationships but I definitely abused alcohol when I drank....I would think though that an abuser can easily turn into an alcoholic since you obviously lose control over it when you have it.

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A girl I know while pregnant craved drywall mud, mouth watered when she went into a room being finished.

I know the feeling all too well. I used to do okay at work, but my mouth actually watered for flour when I turned on my street coming home. Gotta be a brain thing.

Thanks for all the replies.

I hate when ex-smokers or ex-drinkers judge drinkers and smokers.
I myself am an Alcoholic. I used to find myself "needing" a drink. In order for me to function in public I always had to be very buzzed. I loved booze. I used to find myself waking up in the morning before going to work and fixing myself a double 7&7, getting into the car and smoking a joint on the way to work.
I learned after crashing real hard to limit my booze to my days off. I still have a problem with pot I guess because I smoke every day I get off from work.

I don't think anyone is "judging" here, Ron.

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I still have a problem with pot I guess because I smoke every day I get off from work.

I wonder if that is actually a problem, or simply a habit, at this point.

No one needs to judge because they need to just worry about themselves.
But if you have a loved one that you can see is hurting themselves and you, wouldn't you want to help them?
The problem is that they don't see there is a problem, it gets to the point where you just have to let them go.
They need to fall down on their own, and not take us with them.

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Originally posted by soaringhorse:

The problem is that they don't see there is a problem, it gets to the point where you just have to let them go.
They need to fall down on their own, and not take us with them.

Exactly right. Some 'help' actually harms the alcoholic because it makes his life easier.The family do best for him, and themselves, by getting him out of their immediate lives. They have to force him into facing his own state, by leaving him to his own devices, so their lives are not disrupted. They've suffered enough.

It's hard to believe how many people have these types of addictions. My brother is an alcholic to the point where it seems like a disease that he cannot cure.

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Originally posted by cartoonman34:
It's hard to believe how many people have these types of addictions. My brother is an alcholic to the point where it seems like a disease that he cannot cure.

True, only he can.Welcome to AP.Do stick around.There are alcoholics on AP who can help.

(Ignore any ads which appear in reply to your post, by the way.That happens to every newcomer)

To reinforce what Fred said, it is a disease which only he can cure. No one else can cure him. The best you can do is to support his efforts to cure himself. His recovery won't start until he decides to start it. Until that time, read about the disease, learn how some well-meaning friends and family actually make the situation worse by enabling alcoholics, and listen to those who have been through what you are going through and what your brother is going through.

Family of an alcoholic can find help at Al-Anon

Good luck cartoonman, and I do hope you stick around also

When I was addicted to crack, and had been ruining my life for about 5 years my best friend growing up FINALLY got the courage to come talk to me. His words at the time didn't stop me nor my cravings for the drug, but his words (the truth about what I was doing to myself and the people that loved me) never left me. It took them a long time to sink in and hit thier intended mark, but the words followed me untill I was so high I didn't think about them, finally one day it occured to me that not only was I abusing the drug and myself I was abusing the relationships with those that loved me.

That and a good long stare in the mirror everyday helped me to get clean, and his words help me to remain clean to this day.

Kitty, I too abused alcohol in much the same way, and at times I still do, but thank the Lord, I can choose not to drink without side effects. (DT's and such)

So to me , my friends and family were not "enablers", they were more "saviors" in this aspect.

I grew up in an alcoholic family, and I can tell you the mental abuse I received was horrific. Let alone the physical abuse, it leaves scars on the children that will stay with them for a lifetime. These innocent children did not ask for this.

Have you ever seen someone hungover and grouchy in the morning? Not a pretty picture for anyone around them, then when the abuser starts getting their fix, the heavy liquor turns them into a demon.

Where does it finally stop? Mine didn't stop until I turned 18 and went and got married (which was a BIG mistake!)Oh I tried to run away from home before then, but always had to come back to the abuse.

So, what did I do once I was out on my own? Started the partying myself, thought it was normal, due to the influence of family members. Not only that but all my friends did it, why couldn't I? Duh!!

Sometims in life, you try to ease the pain with alcohol, or whatever and guess what? It's still there when you wake up to reality.

What a long hard lesson to learn. It was hard to see someone destroy their life in front of me, and my siblings. And then wondered if they loved us, when they abused us like that. Then the repercussions of raising my own child the normal way, was horrendous. I didn't have a good example, but I knew it wasn't love when you verbally or physically hurt your kid. So, I always remember the saying....If you can't say something nice than don't say nothing at all.

I seriously hope anyone who is getting mean and angry while drinking just stays away from eveyone they love, because it hurts them so bad. Just because the abuser doesn't remember it, let me tell you, the abusee will!