diver dan,
ok, I'll re-phrase it to the silly leading the silly. If we want to stamp out drug use be it alcohol or any other than we need to weed out many other even more sinister behaviour such as mass sport, particularly violent & senseless devoid of skill sports such as football. Why, because it all is interlinked with mentality & as far as underdeveloped mentality goes Australia is at the fore front. I don't like to rub it in but it is an undeniable fact. Just look at moron-lemming behaviour at a football match. These are people we ask to vote !!
Look at drug users, our so-called authorities waste more money on them then on decent citizens requiring a shot in the arm so to speak. They had the right idea with the old Leper Stations where they all lived in special areas, away from others. There's way too much pussy-footing going on.

I dislike the characterization of alcoholism as a disease. While some people are more prone to addiction than others, that does not make it a disease. To call it a disease removes the onus on the individual to manage their life and their affairs. "I can't help it. I have a disease."
Do all those fatties out there have a disease too? The ones that can't drive past a KFC or McDonalds. They know its bad for them. They kid themselves that they will stop feasting, eat healthy and exercise. Starting tomorrow of course. It too destroys their health.
I remember reading of a movie star who constantly cheated on his wife claiming he had a sex addiction. Personally I think he was just cheating on his wife.
If you drink too much too often, you may become reliant on it and it may seriously damage your life. Doesn't make it a disease though.

I like the previous poster do not believe it is a disease, it is however an addiction, described well below:

"Addiction is a condition that results when a person ingests a substance (alcohol, cocaine, nicotine) or engages in an activity (gambling) that can be pleasurable but the continued use of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work or relationships, or health. Users may not be aware that their behavior is out of control and causing problems for themselves and others.

The word addiction is used in several different ways. One definition describes physical addiction. This is a biological state in which the body adapts to the presence of a drug so that drug no longer has the same effect; this is known as tolerance. Because of tolerance, there is a biological reaction when the drug is withdrawn. Another form of physical addiction is the phenomenon of overreaction by the brain to drugs (or to cues associated with the drugs). An alcoholic walking into a bar, for instance, will feel an extra pull to have a drink because of these cues.'

Cheers
Geoff

GoP:

...I get your point, but surely if a doctor is treating an individual for a "condition" of alcohol addiction, then "disease" pretty well describes the affliction, wouldn't you agree...?

...And further, there are many people in Australia on a disability pension due to the debilitating effects of alcoholism. Those are a couple of examples to reinforce the current acceptance of alcoholism as a disease.

...But I personally think that defining Alcoholism in medical terms is insignificant to the broader question of the damage done by the universal acceptance of alcohol in society.

Individual:

...Just this minute noticed your last post above. Addressing your suggestion of Leper colonies as an answer to addiction; well, the new Darwin jail would be the modern-day equivalent of a Leper colony. The NT are completing a new jail to the tune of $500M.

...The inmates of this particular prison will be 90% Aboriginals, incarcerated due to alcohol related crimes. A large proportion of it's function designed to rehabilitate alcoholics. Sorta fits the bill you describe: In fact, it mostly describes the inmate populations of any prison in Australia. It is the side of alcohol most people wish to ignore...Bad people alcoholics end-up in prison...not "Good" people alcoholics.

hey Diver Dan,

I tend to agree with you, I guess it relates to the point of comprehension.

I for one enjoy a drink or 5, but I also know that I have limits, I am now in my mid 40s and as such need to keep a relative tolerance to what I consume to what I can face the following morning, that and the fact that I try not to drink during the week.

Notwithstanding the above, I also understand my father was probably an alcoholic in the strictest terms, he died at 53, the result of a bad lifestyle, too much drinking and smoking.

I have an almost polarised life-style, little alcohol, eat good food and attempt to retain a slight level of exercise outside of running my self sustainable 13 and a half acres here in the west.

Give a mate a chance to visit and I can pretty much slam a bottle of bourbon but I always regret the next day.

Does this make me an alcoholic, probably, have I ever asked the question.....Do I drink too much, why yes I have.......give the pshych people an inch and they will take a mile.....vis I am doomed.

Instead I use the wifey, who tells me to get out of bed, yes it's cold, -4.8 the other morning (7am) and get the fire stoked and get breakfast on the go, no problem, does this signify an addiction or that I am an alcoholic, well I don't know.

I do know that I like a good WA Margaret River red or a decent ACT or Kiwi Sauv Blanc, whether it will kill me or the wife is yet to be determined. She does not like to drink, neither do my kids aged 7 and 9, I will continue to study and see how things pan out!