Re: The \"disease\" of alcoholism.
According to the etymology, it is.
If you can classify addictions as abnormalities of the organism.
Is it curable? Is there expectation of a cure for alcoholism? Sure. Would this be warmly embraced by alcoholics?
I don't think so, and I've got several family members who are alcoholics. AA has worked with varying degrees of success, but, yes, there's an inherent Christian element to it that's all too demanding of the individual to slough his problems off onto God.
That's uncool. While an addict may not be able to think rationally about his addiction and continue on his path without regards to the damage he is causing to himself or to others, it is a voluntary disease.
And I'm not talking about willpower necessarily. An addict knows when he is abusing the substance or the alcohol, he is making an incorrect choice.
So if it is a disease, it is one with a strong degree of culpability.
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