The nature of alcoholism: opinions of Canadian alcohol intervention workers.

Abstract

SummaryPour hundred and ninety‐four intervention workers indicated their level of agreement with seven concepts describing alcoholism: a disease; a moral weakness; a genetic disposition; a multi‐faceted syndrome; a physiological weakness; an allergy and learned behaviour. ‘Multi‐faceted syndrome’ was the most agreed upon one, followed by ‘disease”. ‘Moral weakness’ was the concept least agreed with.