One of the problems in thinking of alcoholism as a disease is that it simply doesn't seem like one. It doesn't look, sound, smell and it definitely doesn't act like a disease. On top of everything else, it commonly denies it exists and refuses to accept treatment.

Alcoholism has been recognized for many years by professional medical organizations as a primary, chronic, progressive and sometimes fatal disease. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence offers a detailed and complete definition of alcoholism, but probably the most simple way to describe it is "a mental obsession that causes a physical compulsion to drink."

What is a mental obsession? Have you ever had a song playing continuously in your head? It might be a song from the radio or a commercial you heard on television, but it keeps on playing ... and playing and playing.

Mental Obsession Remember what that was like? No matter what you did, that silly tune kept on playing. You could try to whistle or sing another song or turn on the radio and listen to another tune, but the one in your head just kept on playing. Think about it. There was something going on in your mind that you didn't put there and, no matter how hard you tried, couldn't get out!

Above is a basic example of what a mental obsession is -- a mental thought process over which you have no power over. If you comprehend the music scenario, you might understand more about the nature of the disease of alcoholism. In the mind of an alcoholic, when the drinking "song" starts playing, he becomes powerless to resist the noise. The song wasn't consciously put there and the only obvious way to get it to stop playing, for the alcoholic, is to take a drink.

Unfortunately, for the alcoholic, the mental fixation with alcohol is much more subtle than simply a song playing in his mind. What is truly sad is the fact that he may not even know it's there. The only thing the alcoholic recognizes is that there is a sudden urge to take a drink -- a physical compulsion to drink.

Progressive Disease Aggravating the predicament is the progressive nature of the disease. In the early stages of the mental obsession taking one or two drinks may be all the person needs to get the "song" to stop. But soon it will take six or seven drinks and then later possibly ten or twelve. It comes to a point when the only time the song stops is when he passes out.

The development of the disease is so understated and generally occurs over such an extended period of time, that even the alcoholic himself can fail to recognize the point at which he loses control and alcohol takes over his life.

It can't be any wonder that denial is a common symptom of the illness. For those that do recognize there is a problem help can be as close as the white pages of the telephone directory. Unfortunately there are those who need help however they do all they can to resist it, for these people intervention may be the only alternative.