The Definition Of Alcoholism
December 29th, 2008
Brown Bag Alcoholic drinks date back thousands of years. Although no one quite knows of their original discovery, it seems likely that they have been a part of history since the beginning. Magnus Huss first coined the word (alcoholism) in 1849, being the first to classify the systematic damage that was attributable to alcohol.
The word alcoholism itself was not actually recognized in the US until the late 1930s, through the formation of the alcohol support group known as Alcoholics Anonymous or AA as it is sometimes referred to. AA does not actually give alcoholism a concrete definition, but recognizes it as something between an allergy and an illness with a team support method of accountability and responsibility being a way to control alcoholism.
The first Doctor to classify problems in chronic alcoholics was E. Morton Jellinek from New England. He defined an alcoholic as being a person who through the consumption of such large quantities of alcohol, had resulted in dramatic effects on his or her bodily and or mental health. These changes would also end up affecting the alcoholic’s personal relationships and or their employment capabilities.
He went on to add that this condition was in need of treatment and nothing has really changed since then apart from a few alterations in the definition by a series of medical affiliations. Today’s American Medical Association refers to alcoholism as a particular chronic primary disease.
There are though let’s say a minority in the medical profession who just will not accept that alcoholism is actually a disease, so critics like Herbert Fingarette and Stanton Peele only use the term heavy drinking in relation with the harmful effects of alcohol consumption.
With alcoholism’s uncertain definition, the disease is often hard to accurately detect. There is no physical or mental difference between someone who drinks habitually and an alcoholic. To get more up to date information regarding alcoholism you should definitely take a look at the blog over at stopdrinking.org as it is a real eye opener.
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