Every once in a while I’ll hear a celebrity propose, on a talk show or other public venue, that alcoholism is not a disease. One I heard made his case noting that cancer is a disease: cancer can’t be cured by quitting cancer but you can do something about alcoholism by not drinking. The naivety of the notion that alcoholism is abated by not drinking is as foolish as it is dangerous. We, who have struggled with it, know full well that the alcoholism is a mental disease that is only exacerbated when we take away alcohol without some kind of comprehensive and affective treatment. It is fine with me if folks have trouble calling alcoholism a disease but I ask, are bi-polar disorders also not a disease requiring medical attention and therapy? Can someone with a mental illness simply stop "acting crazy" or "blue" on their own? Unfortunately there are people who react to those who suffer from clinical depression the same way. They recommend that such people “Cheer up… look on the bright side…”or some other misinformed advice. Tell that to someone who suffers depression and all that is accomplished is to drive the poor soul further into guilt and remorse that often results in suicide. Sunday, November 27, 2011
Mental Illness and Alcoholism
Every once in a while I’ll hear a celebrity propose, on a talk show or other public venue, that alcoholism is not a disease. One I heard made his case noting that cancer is a disease: cancer can’t be cured by quitting cancer but you can do something about alcoholism by not drinking. The naivety of the notion that alcoholism is abated by not drinking is as foolish as it is dangerous. We, who have struggled with it, know full well that the alcoholism is a mental disease that is only exacerbated when we take away alcohol without some kind of comprehensive and affective treatment. It is fine with me if folks have trouble calling alcoholism a disease but I ask, are bi-polar disorders also not a disease requiring medical attention and therapy? Can someone with a mental illness simply stop "acting crazy" or "blue" on their own? Unfortunately there are people who react to those who suffer from clinical depression the same way. They recommend that such people “Cheer up… look on the bright side…”or some other misinformed advice. Tell that to someone who suffers depression and all that is accomplished is to drive the poor soul further into guilt and remorse that often results in suicide. 
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