Stop Drinking Now Alcoholism as a Disease
by Ed Philips
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 by professional medical organizations for many years as a major, constant, progressive and at times deadly disease. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence offers a detailed and complete definition of alcoholism, but perhaps the simplest way to describe it is "a mental obsession that causes a physical compulsion to drink."
What is a mental obsession? Have you ever had a song playing continuously in your head? It might be a song from the radio or a commercial you heard on television, but it keeps on playing... and playing and playing.
Mental Obsession Remember what that was like? No matter what you did, that silly tune kept on playing. You could try to whistle or sing another song or turn on the radio and listen to another tune, but the one in your head just kept on playing. Think about it. There was something going on in your mind that you didn't put there and, no matter how hard you tried, couldn't get out!
Above is a basic example of what a mental obsession is -- a mental thought process over which you have no power over. If you comprehend the music scenario, you might understand more about the nature of the disease of alcoholism. In the mind of an alcoholic, when the drinking "song" starts playing, he becomes powerless to resist the noise. The song wasn't consciously put there and the only obvious way to get it to stop playing, for the alcoholic, is to take a drink.
The problem is the alcoholic's mental obsession with alcohol is much more subtle than a song playing in his mind. In fact, he may not even know it's there. All he knows is he suddenly has an urge to take a drink -- a physical compulsion to drink.
Progressive Disease
What aggravates the problem is the progressive nature of the disease. In the early stages of the "mental obsession" having one or two drinks may be all that is needed to get the "song" to stop. Soon it will take six or seven drinks and then later possibly ten or twelve. It comes to a point when the only time the song stops is when he passes out.
The development of the disease is so understated and generally occurs over such an extended period of time that even the alcoholic himself can fail to recognize the point at which he loses control and alcohol takes over his life.
It's no wonder denial is a common indication of the illness. For those who realize that they do have a problem help is as close as the white pages of the telephone directory. Unfortunately there are those who need help however all they can to resist it, for these people intervention may be the only alternative.
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About the Author
Drinking Alcohol is a serious health issue and affects almost everyone in one way or another, so this article will help guide you towards a guaranteed method of quitting this forsaken addiction. If you feel that this subject may affect you or somebody you know, then please read on with an open mind as you could be one step away from changing your or somebody else's life.