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It is very easy to get addicted to alcohol, the first stage of consuming alcohol is not considered a disease, just social behaviour, however depending on your circumstances and personality, your increasing need to consume alcohol without looking at the consequences, is indeed a disease.
Some people may start drinking as a way to be a part of the "in" or "cool" crowd, and progress to needing a daily drink to unwind after a hard day with the children or at the office, they do not consider themselves addicted to alcohol, however they are unable to stop having their daily doses.

Others, progress to binge drinking, and, are unable to stop drinking once they start, spending their whole weekend in an alcoholic daze, although once they stop a session they are able to remain alcohol free for many weeks, but, once they have one drink the rollercoaster starts once again.
Alcoholism is a very insidious disease, people are often able to hide it at the beginning responsible job and pretend that all is well, however as time progresses and the alcohol starts to take over their lives, damage of the liver and consequently of the rest of the body will occur.

Due to the subsequent mental confusion, nutrition is insufficient as meals are skipped, work is neglected and all responsibilities are forgotten and avoided, if the rollercoaster is not interrupted and stopped, the eventual outcome is cirrhosis of the liver and death.

During my youth I witnessed how a friend"s father spent his entire life drinking, and, deteriorating, going from a Psyquiatric Unit to a General Hospital, requiring intravenous feeding, when faced with the dilemma of continuing to drink and dying, or, stopping his alcohol abuse, he purchased a plot in the graveyard and stayed at home, in his bed, drinking, getting up only to have some food and to the bathroom, while his family had to watch while he wasted away, until he finally died at the age of 42.

During my University days, students used to spend their spare time at the local bar, having "a beer" in between shifts at the emergency room, of course, needless to say that one beer usually turned into a minimum of 5, or, in some cases 10. It was by pure chance that if they had to look after a patient, they somehow managed to do the right thing, again some of my friends were social drinkers, while others ended their days as alcoholics at the age of 30.
The one thing I know is that alcohol addiction leads to misery not only for the alcoholic but for all the family members, and, by not calling it a disease and making lighthearted jokes about alcoholics only can lead to more anxiety, alcohol is a drug for some people who will drink anything they can get their hands on in order to satisfy their craving.

So, in conclusion, my opinion is that addiction to alcohol is indeed a disease which needs to be addressed as such with a lot of dedication, care and professional help to overcome.

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