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The concept of alcoholism as a disease came to be accepted as early as 1785. (Smith) The majority of alcoholics on the road to recovery tend to believe that it is just an addiction. The disease concept began with a physician who published a book called “An Inquiry into the effects of Ardent Spirits upon the Human Mind and Body,” In which he wrote alcoholism is a disease. (J Sinski0001) Health care professionals tend to share this opinion, while those addicts involved in treatment continue to see physical dependency. The idea that alcoholism is a disease gained creditability with the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous. “AA” for the first time confirmed that alcoholics were decent and normal human beings when sober. E.M. Jellineck a respected scientist proclaimed in medical terms “that alcoholism was indeed a disease.”(J Sinski0001) Researchers argue the question that alcohol is not just an addiction, but also a disease. Addiction is a disease in itself characterized by compulsion, loss of control, and continued use in spite of adverse consequences {Coombs, 1997; Smith and Seymour, 2001}. Alcoholism is considered to be a chronic brain disease. Research shows that long -term use of alcohol changes the brain function and these changes continue long after the individual stops using. Drug-induced changes in the brain function may have many consequences behaviorally. |