Addiction as a Disease

By William L. White, MA Are alcoholism and other addictions diseases? If so, what manner of diseases are they, and how can they best be treated? If not, then how can we understand and respond to such conditions? Do we need more than one organizing concept to embrace the myriad patterns of harmful alcohol and other drug (AOD) use? What personal, professional and social consequences flow out of these different frameworks for viewing AOD-related problems?