Is Alcoholism a Disease?

The disease theory [not fact] of alcoholism was first proposed in the early 1800s by Dr.
Benjamin Rush of Philadelphia. The first serious academic challenge to the disease theory came
with a publication by D. L. Davies in 1962 who followed up on soome alcohol abusers and
found that some of them were able to go back to “controlled drinking." The main question is
how someone suffering a so called disease which is suppose to lead to uncontrollable drinking
can manage to drink controllably? It is a good question.

Between 1980 and 1991, medical organizations worked together to establish policies regarding
their positions on the disease theory. The policies of the American Medical Association formed
through a general consensus of the federation of state and specialty medical societies within their
House of Delegates, state, in part: "The AMA endorses the proposition that drug dependencies,
including alcoholism, are diseases and that their treatment is a legitimate part of medical
practice."

Note. A “proposition” is not a proven fact. A general consensus means there are a lot of doctors
who disagree with what an unproven proposition. Giving something the name of a disease by
consensus instead of known facts is like saying since thousdans of people believe in Martians
there MUST be Martians and so we will just go ahead and tell others there ARE Martians.

It is interesting that in a 1988 US Supreme Court decision on whether alcohol dependence is a

condition for which the US Veterans Administration should provide benefits, Associate Justice
Byron R. White's statement echoed the District of Columbia Circuit's finding that there is "a
substantial body of medical literature that even contests the proposition that alcoholism is a
disease, much less that it is a disease for which the victim bears no responsibility." Justice White
also wrote, "Indeed, even among many who consider alcoholism a "disease" to which its victims
are genetically predisposed, the consumption of alcohol is not regarded as wholly involuntary."
In other words the US Veteran’s Administration does not have to pay people who have abused
alchohol.

Also, the US Social Security Administration no longer makes disability payments to individuals
for whom substance use disorders are a material aspect of their disability.

Programs such as Rational Recovery reject the "disease model". RR was founded in 1986 by
Jack Trimpey, a Calfiornia licensed clinical social worker inviting individuals to hold themselves
accountable for their behavior and not think they are a VICTIM of a disease and thus not
accountable.

The bottom line is that the results of medical research have been used both in support of
and against the disease theory [not fact] of alcoholism.

Clarification. Up to now, I have used the term “alocholism” as a synanomy for drunkness. I
understand drunkenness to be a state of voluntary excessive drinking which the Bible condemns
and calls a work of the flesh. Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which
are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness,
revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that
they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. I think a good argument could be
made that if idolatry and witchcraft and hating and anger are not “diseases” then logically
neither is drunkenness. But, on this matter every person can be persuaded in their own mind. For
myself, I need to stay with biblical language and by the grace of God I will do better.