Disease Model Alcoholism

Disease Model Alcoholism. Oh yeah, the dreaded disease model of alcoholism says we must quit. That abstinence is the only way to get better. If we don't quit things will become progressively worse until we have destroyed everything we love and then we die. Not a pleasant picture.

It's also not necessarily true. Many alcoholics die at a ripe old age, in their own homes, and with their families around them. This sort of death for an alcoholic is much more common than freezing to death on sidewalk, covered by a card boardbox. One thing about theory is certain. Forty percent of the children of alcoholics have alcohol problems themselves. This happens whether they are raised by the alcoholic parent or not. Most people who say they have a drinking problem also report that they have relatives who have drinking problems. Alcoholism runs in families, there is just too much evidence to say that it doesn't. Some think that alcohol affects the children of alcoholics less than it does the children of non-alcoholics. So these people must consume more to get the same effect. This starts them on the slippery slope to problem drinking. This model says that once started down this slope their is no way to control it. You either hit the bottom or you stop, there is no in-between.

Raging Alcoholic