Societal Views toward the Alcoholic
Throughout history, some individuals have abused alcohol while others have become dependent on alcohol. Similar to attitudes toward those with problems with drug abuse and drug addiction, attitudes toward those who abuse or are dependent on alcohol have changed throughout history in a seemingly cyclical fashion. Sometimes the alcohol abuser has been viewed benevolently, particularly if he or she is a young person, while the alcoholic may be perceived as a victim of his or her culture or sometimes of alcohol itself. From this perspective, individuals were believed to need to be led to treatment by others who were more enlightened.
Alternatively, at various points in history, the alcoholic has been seen as one who is so severely flawed in character or personality that he or she will never agree to treatment, and consequently there is no point in trying to help him or her, since failure is inevitable. In the most extreme case, the alcoholic has been viewed as someone who actually chooses to be evil and sometimes as one who should be shunned by society or incarcerated away from nice people. One common denominator among these various viewpoints is that the alcoholic person either cannot or will not choose to receive treatment in order to recover.
Of course, alcoholism is not a positive trait in anyone, but it is important to realize that there are factors that move some individuals toward a risk for alcohol dependence, such as genetics and environmental factors (parents and/or peers who are heavy drinkers).
There are also protective factors leading people away from alcohol abuse and dependence (such as non drinking parents and peers). At the same time, there are treatments available that can help those with alcohol dependence.
Another view of heavy drinkers or alcohol-dependent individuals is that the person is a free thinker who is exhibiting individual spirit. People who hold this view may see excessive drinking among some people, such as the stereotypical hard-drinking writer or artist or the macho man who really knows how to hold his liquor, as benevolent. In reality the ability of hard-drinking people to drink more than others results from building up a tolerance to alcohol, not from any secret knowledge the individual has acquired.
At different times in American history, the substance of alcohol itself was considered either good or evil. When it was good, it was perceived as a substance that was safe and healthful to drink and as a pain reliever. When it was evil, it was believed to be as addicting as heroin is known to be in modern times. With this underlying view, no one was exempt from becoming addicted. The belief that alcohol itself is very dangerous to all people helps explain why the substance was banned outright during the Prohibition years.
Others believed that not everyone was prone to becoming addicted to alcohol, but that some individuals inexplicably were drawn to alcohol and then they subsequently, and inevitably, became addicted. According to this belief, the first sip of alcohol triggered the addiction. For such individuals this led to a ruinous life unless they were able, with help, to overcome their addiction.
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Mark S. Gold, M.D. and Christine Adamec
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REFERENCES
- Amethyst Initiative. Statement. Available online. Accessed March 1, 2009.
- Beirness, Douglas J., and Erin E. Beasley. Alcohol and Drug Use Among Drivers: British Columbia Roadside Survey, 2008. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, 2009.
- Berridge, Virginia, and Sarah Mars. “History of Addictions.” Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health 58 (2003): 747–750.
- Blanco, Carlos, M.D., et al. “Mental Health of College Students and Their Non-College-Attending Peers: Results from the National Epidemiologic Study on Alcohol and Related Conditions.” Archives of General Psychiatry 65, no. 12 (2008): 1,429–1,437.
- Blocker, Jack S., Jr. “Did Prohibition Really Work: Alcohol Prohibition as a Public Health Innovation.” American Journal of Public Health 96, no. 2 (2006): 233–243.