Going to jail for having a disease

Originally posted by Blanca Rose
reply to post by SUICIDEHK45

 

Apparently, congress has decided that alchoholism is a disease, based on this article I found from 2007.

link

A new bill sponsored by Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., would change the name of the National Institute on Drug Abuse to the National Institute on Diseases of Addiction and change the name of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to the National Institute on Alcohol Disorders and Health. Called the Recognizing Addiction As a Disease Act of 2007, it explains,

Sooooooooooo, while we might not all agree with it, the government recognizes alcholism as a disease.

edit typo



[edit on 28-6-2010 by Blanca Rose]

LOL. I know you're just the messenger... but on my planet, the United States Congress never has and never will tell anyone what a disease is. The end.

The fact that Congress actually changed the name to disease, is indirect evidence that it clearly is not.

Double-speak's been here for a while, folks! It's thanks to 1984 that we have a name for it....

reply to post by ImaNutter


I completely agree with you. I have been looking for studies where it's actually been proven to be a disease, and have yet to find anything that is definative.

It's speculated to be genetic, or such, but not actually proven.

Originally posted by Blanca Rose
reply to post by SUICIDEHK45

 

I tried looking up statistics to see if alcholism is actually a disease, or a behavior. I got a lot of conflicting reports.
Some say it's genetic, some say it's a disease, and some say it's an addiction.
I could not find one single study showing it is actually a verifiable disease, and I've been checking for a while!

Blanca you can look for a definitive answer forever and you will fail. For every study or report you find saying that its a disease you'll find one rebutting that and stating its all behavior.
As far as genetic,disease or addiction. The way that it is approached by mental health/substance abuse people is like this; addiction is the disease, the substance/behavior are just a symptoms of the disease. While there is some genetic predispositon toward addiction most counselors/therapists say that it is a case of nature v nurture. Like one of the other posters said, if a child sees mommy or daddy drinking a 6 pack every day, popping pills all day, smoking crack all day they will think that its normal. Whereas if the same child is raised in an environment where moderation or abstinence is taught then that is the norm that's ingrained into the child. But just because you're a child of an alcoholic or an addict, and I hate to use both terms because an alcoholic is just an addict whose drug of choice is alcohol, where an addicts drug of choice is characterized by any other substance. But a child of an addict/s is only slightly more likely to develop a problem than the child of a nonaddict. With the bit of past history I disclosed in my earlier post this was a subject that I wrestled with finding a definitive answer to. Unfortunately its like trying to find an answer to whether addiction is a disease or habit. Many of the counselors and therapists I have spoken to say that its largely nature v nurture.
But addictive behavior extends to things other than substance abuse, it basically encompasses ANY behavior that is obssesive. These can and do include, eating,sex,video games,spending all day on a conspiracy forum
I pray to whatever god/s there may be that my child doesn't grow up to be an addict. His mother and I have changed our lives to try and ensure that we can set the best example for him that we can. To be honest about the substances that are out there and what he will come in contact with, what is acceptable behavior and what isn't. How to make responsible choices. That's the only thing that we can do.

How was the last DUI BS??? Did he not drink and somehow get one?

He has been to treatment twice spent a couple of weeks in jail. He deserved all of what he got, but while in treatment he was diagnosed as an "alcoholic."

Being an alcoholic is not a disease that is just 12 stepper jive talk. Go to an AA meeting if you have a couple drinks every now and then they will say you are an alcoholic. If you drink once a year and happen to get a DUI and you get ordered to go to AA, those people will still think you are an Alcoholoc.

How can he be put in jail for having a doctor diagnosed disease?

Alcoholisim is not a disease, a disease is something like cancer or AIDS (amoung millions of others) one can't simply get up one day and say I'm not going to suffer from the side effects of cancer today and go about his day. One can not simply will away any real disease like an alcoholic can.

1) Diabetes-

If it effects you to the point where your vision is impared you might get your licence taken away.

2) Heart Disease

There are hundreds of heart diseases and some of them would stop you from driving care to be more specific? saying heart disease is not much better than just saying disease.

3) Seizures

People have lost their licence because of that, if you go to the emergency room for a seizure you hafe to report it to the DMV at which point your licence is revoked. You can get your licence back but you will have to stay on whatever medication you are prescribed.

Alcoholism could be construed as a medical disease. Personally, I think it's a stretch, but see the point.

Driving however, isn't a disease, and by no stretch of the imagination can it be represented as such.

I don't have a problem with people drinking, and I don't have a problem with driving. Doing both at the same time however, is an exercise in stupidity. Drunk drivers kill people.