Alcoholism
Alcoholism What is alcoholism? ... Although hundreds of definitions of alcoholism have been suggested, none have gained universal acceptance as a standard definition of the disease. ... Therefore, much of the information pertaining to alcoholism is either ambiguous or simply theorized. The most commonly accepted definition of alcoholism is the one suggested by the World Health Organization Expert Committees. ... In the past, alcoholism was viewed as a legal and moral offense. ... Alcoholism has the criteria to fall under this category because of the addictive nature of alcohol, and the physical dependance and tolerance of alcoholics to alcohols effects. ... While there is no clear-cut reason why alcoholism occurs, there are many factors that may lead to, or contribute to this disease. ... It is uncertain, however, whether or not there exists an "alcoholic" personality, or if there are simply many types of personalities that are susceptible to alcoholism. Many psychologists also believe that physiological defects can lead to alcoholism. Nutritional deficiencies, dysfunctions off the endocrine system, and other possible disorders have been suggested to be factors that lead to alcoholism. Though none of these theories have proven to be true as of yet, the possibility of there being some sort of physiological factor in alcoholism is suggested by the fact that, while some people that drink heavily become alcoholics, other people who may drink even larger quantities of alcohol do not.