Recognizing alcoholism as a disease. | Men's Issues

By EdPhilips
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One of the difficulties in recognizing alcoholism as a disease is it just plain doesn't seem like one. It doesn't look, sound, smell and it certainly doesn't act like a disease. To make matters worse, generally it denies it exists and resists treatment. Alcoholism has been recognized for many years by professional medical organizations as a primary, chronic, progressive and sometimes fatal disease. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence offers a detailed and complete definition of alcoholism, but probably the simplest way to describe it is "a mental obsession that causes a physical compulsion to drink."

Because of this, nine out of ten primary care physicians in the United States fail to correctly diagnose alcohol abuse even when their adult patients present classic early symptoms, according to a survey by the Center on Addiction and Drug Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. The doctors responding to the survey cited lack of adequate training in medical school, residency or continuing medical education courses; skepticism about treatment effectiveness; discomfort discussing substance abuse, time constraints and patient resistance.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, IV, defines alcohol abuse as drinking despite alcohol-related physical, social, psychological, or occupational problems, or drinking in dangerous situations, such as while driving. The World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases refers to "harmful use" of alcohol, or drinking that causes either physical or mental damage in the absence of alcohol dependence. In other words, alcohol abuse is any harmful use of alcohol.

The severity of these withdrawal symptoms is usually dependent upon how "chemically dependent" the chronic drinker has become. Those who drink heavily on a daily basis of course have developed a high level of dependency, but even those who drink daily, but not heavily and those who drink heavily but not daily, can also be chemically dependent upon alcohol.

The scenario has been played over and over many times. After a particularly damaging or embarrassing binge, the hungover person will make an oath to himself and others to drink "never again" and quite often is sincere about quitting. But with the onset of withdrawal symptoms, also comes the "craving" for more alcohol. The body is telling the drinker that it "needs" alcohol. As the physical symptoms of withdrawal begin to increase, taking another drink simply becomes less painful than not taking one -- or so it seems at the time.

Sometimes admitting to yourself and others that you need help can be one of the most difficult steps to take on your road to recovery. In our society, the myth prevails that an alcohol problem is somehow a sign of moral weakness. "As a result, you may feel that to seek help is to admit some type of shameful defect in yourself. In fact, however, alcoholism is a disease that is no more a sign of weakness than is asthma or diabetes."

Some of the psychological symptoms are: feelings of jumpiness or nervousness; feelings of shakiness; anxiety; irritability or easily excited; emotional volatility, rapid emotional changes; depression; fatigue; difficulty with thinking clearly; having bad dreams. Some of the physical symptoms are: headache - general, pulsating; sweating, especially the palms of the hands or the face; nusea; vomiting; loss of appetite; insomnia, sleeping difficulty; paleness; rapid heart rate (palpitations); eyes, pupils different size (enlarged, dilated pupils); clammy skin; abnormal movements; tremor of the hands; involuntary, abnormal movements of the eyelids.

About the Author

Discover how to quit Abusing Alcohol Written by Ed Philips and Quit Alcohol Today.

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