Many Americans consume alcohol on a daily basis whether it is for a celebratory reason or to satisfy their own thirst. Although it may seem harmless to some people, the effects can be drastic physically, mentally, and socially. Not only does it affect the alcoholic, but the ones who are in the alcoholic's life as well. Alcoholism has affected many for the past century, causing families to fall apart and spreading its toxin to others continuing the cycle of no control and destruction of a life.
             For the past several decades, it has been widely debated on whether becoming an alcoholic was due to bad choices or if it truly is a genetically inherited disease. But what is a disease? It is "anything that interferes with the ability of the human being to function normally" (Ohlms). So it seems logical that alcoholism is classified as a disease. It is a "chronic, progressive, incurable disease characterized by the loss of control over alcohol and other sedatives" (Ohlms). Alcohol is not the only thing that can satisfy the craving; pain killers such as Vicodin are a substitute when alcohol is not present. Alcoholism consists of cravings, loss of control, behavior changes, loss of interest in one's job, and other health problems.
             Within the United States itself, almost 5 percent of the population is affected by alcoholism, mostly starting in people who are in their twenty's and thirty's. It causes 2.5 million deaths and 69.4 million disability-life-years worldwide. In high-income countries, Alcoholism is the third-most disabling disease and it mostly affects men between the ages of 18-24. In Figure 1, it shows that "about half of Americans ages 12 and older reported being current drinkers of alcohol according to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The frequency and amount of alcohol that people typically drink tend to vary throughout life, as the graph shows" (Do you have a problem with alcohol?). It also shows that most of the...