Playitloudforme wrote:Saint John wrote:Cancer is a disease. ALS is a disease. Alcoholism, like other addictions, is due to a lack of will and weakness. Sure, there are some pre-existing conditions that make certain people more susceptible to lapses, but you can't go out and "get" alcoholism. Nor can you just wake up with it one day. I don't give a shit what you say, it's not a "disease."
Sigh... it is a disease. It's genetic. My grandfather had it, my uncle had it (both died from it), my father had it, my brother has it, my nephew has it. Proven by the medical community as a disease. I've already informed both my boys that they have the genetic disposition to become alcoholics. Cunning, baffling, powerful, and oh so patient. Disease.
Stolen with love from wikipedia: 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."
Sorry, I don't agree that it's a disease, either. You didn't have to drink. You decided to drink. Just like I decided to eat too much, even though both my Mom and Dad were overweight, it was still me who decided to overeat. There are some doctors who want to call obesity a disease but it just isn't.
I absolutely LOVE this freaking song.
