Alcoholism As a Community Public Health Problem

ALCOHOLISM as a disease can truly be considered an addiction. A characteristic of any addiction is that the addicting substance is able in some way to alter the mood of an individual. The substances able to do this are given the general name of pharmacolthymic substance--meaning a drug that is capable of altering one's mood level. For almost every substance that is capable of producing an addiction, there exists--in addition to the addicting disease that may be related to it--a substantial body of evidence to indicate that many people are able to use the addicting agent without harm. The question of whether elimination of the agent would at the same time produce elimination of the harmful condition must take into account its beneficial effect on those not susceptible to its addicting properties. . . .