Alcoholism Is an Addiction, Not a Disease

Abstract

I will argue that addictions are not diseases, and certainly not chronic brain diseases. Diseases do not bring about pleasure or expectations of pleasure. Diseases are qualitatively different from behavioral extremes. Addictions are simply extremes of behavior. They are addictions, a kind of its own. The necessary cause is a normal but extreme desire for enjoyment (or happiness, pleasure or serenity). Triggering causes vary, and these are usually different for different people. Together they constitute the sufficient cause.