A Historical Perspective of Alcohol Addiction

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Through the years the medical society has debated the issues of Alcoholism being a disease or a severe lack of moral judgment. The first Doctor to discuss his thought of Alcoholism as a disease was in 1804, this concept was not taken well by the medical community or by the church. The medical community thought the alcoholic was a lower level person with character inadequacies and emotional weakness, and in no way should become the responsibility of the medical community. The church felt that this concept challenged the moral code of the community and threatened the basic believe of the church.

This is still the root source of conflict and confession in the Alcohol field today. Many programs believe Alcoholism is a disease and is in fact incurable, so the Alcoholic will forever be trapped in the thought that “I am an Alcoholic, it is a disease and I am powerless over my addiction.” Other programs believe all addictions are a learned behavior and with the right therapy one can overcome this behavior and live a productive successful live after addiction.

Many people question the issue of "is alcoholism hereditary" and again there are communities on both side of the fence. Some believe yes and it goes right back to the disease concept, others believe there may be some value in the hereditary idea but it does not predestine someone to a life of alcoholism, they still have a choice in how they live their life. There is a third group that go back to the learned behavior, they believe that if a child was brought up around families that drink they have learned from a young age that this is the only way to have fun or that this is "Normal" behavior so in adulthood they continue on with the learned behavior from their childhood.

There are many unanswered questions about alcoholism, one that has come to light is why some people become physically addicted to alcohol and others do not. I have read a study that showed if 10 people where put together for six months and they all drank the same amount of alcohol on a daily basis at the end of six months nine could walk away with no signs of withdraw but the 10th person would go into withdraw when the alcohol was taken away. This again cause some to think it is a disease but yet others think it is a chemical make up and it does not make you become an alcoholic. You can still make the right choice and live a productive life.

This page has not given you any clear answer to the questions on disease or not a disease but it has shown that throughout the past two centuries the debate has continued and it will continue into the future. The one thing we know for sure is that one program does not work for all alcoholics. Addiction Rehab Help can go through the different rehabilitation methods with you and help guide you into the right facility for your needs.

 

To speak with a counselor call 1-877-744-3536

To find an A.A. meeting in your area click here: Alcoholics Anonymous

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