From Moral Failing to Disease
Fashions change in nearly everything - including the popular andmedical opinions about alcoholism. A half-century ago, most people(including medical professionals as well as alcoholics themselves) believedthat alcoholism was a question of free will: People became alcoholicsbecause they chose to drink and did not have the moral (or emotional orpsychological) ability to stop drinking. Over the past several decades,ideas about the root causes of alcoholism changed substantially as thependulum swung from one extreme (i.e. alcoholism is a moral weakness) tothe other (alcoholism is a disease caused by a genetic predisposition). Inthe past decade, the pendulum has begun swinging back slightly so that nowmost medical and social-work professionals view alcoholism as a learnedbehavior - although there is also although there is little doubt mostalcoholics have some element of genetic predisposition for the condition.This paper explores the phenomenon of alcoholism as we understand it atthis point, as a condition that is partly learned (i.e. the result offreely engaged in choices) and partly genetic. The question of whether alcoholism is an acquired behavior or a
The fact that alcoholism is to someextent under the control of the individual is important in terms of beingable to reverse the condition - and for the individual's takingresponsibility for his or her condition (something that would be entirelyinappropriate for a disease like Tay-Sachs, which is entirely genetic andis not in any way linked to an individual's voluntary behavior). But in fact it is extremely important in termsof how one treats the condition - and also in how the condition is viewedsocially. Environmental factors may also be important. A therapeutic approach that combines attempts to shift cognitivemodels combined with behavioral modification can teach new behaviors toalcoholics that he or she can successfully substitute for the old behaviorsof drinking. An estimated one-third to one-half of all unintentionally and intentionally injured adult Americans involved in accidents, crimes, and suicides had been drinking alcohol (http://www. Schizophrenia results in distorted perceptions of the world, including self, and disordered or disorganized thinking. Given the problems in studies attempting to discover a genetic link to Indian alcohol use, it is likely that studies that examine the cultural, economic, and social circumstances of American Indians may be more successful in explaining their higher rates of substance use (Akins, 2003). It seems reasonable that a cognitive treatment approach would be helpful in treating schizophrenia, assuming that medication is also employed to alleviate psychotic thought processes which would interfere with any psycho therapeutic interventions (http://www. If you have an alcohol problem it is very likely that other members of your family are addicted (http://www. Anyactivity that is at least initially rewarding (or that is initially morepleasurable than the alternatives - which might mean that it hurts less inphysical or emotional terms than the alternative) is something that peopletend to repeat until it is an engraved behavior.
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Acceptance Essays
