What is Alcoholism? Alisa Olazaran Friday, September 14, 2007 What is Alcoholism? Really? Alcoholism to a person that does not drink is one thing, and Alcoholism to an Alcoholic is an entirely different thing. The definition of Alcoholism is this: "a chronic disorder characterized by dependence on alcohol, repeated excessive use of alcoholic beverages, can you believe this,the development of withdrawal symptoms on reducing or ceasing intake, morbidity that may include cirrhosis of the liver, and decreased ability to function socially and vocationally. But to an Alcoholic, it is a way of escape, escaping the pain of society. You see many people think Alcoholism is a disease, but it actually is a disorder, a chronic disorder. Imagine that..but it is my belief that Alcoholism can be brought on by other things. There are people that have mental disorders that have gone on for years not knowing why they feel this way or that way, but that only hitting the bottle makes them feel better (hum) imagine that, people actually walking around with other mental disorders never go diagnosed, such as Manic Depression, these people not only have Manic Depression, but they start hitting the bottle, and this can be another crutch for that person, and when that person finally is diagnosed as having Alcoholism, a lot of times they are never diagnosed as having other mental disorders prior to Alcoholism. My mother for example: she was an Alcoholic, she passed away three-years... |