There is a variance among alcoholics: They have different drinking patterns (episodic, binge drinking, daily drinking, etc.), different choices of alcoholic beverages ("hard" liquor, wine, beer, etc.) and different quantities consumed (a "few sips," several six packs, a fifth a day, a few glasses of wine with dinner, etc.). Focus on the disease should not be on the differences but on the fact of uncontrolled drinking despite the consequences.

There are many "theories" of the cause of alcoholism. One theory, diminishing in popularity, is that alcoholism is a "moral weakness" -- that the alcoholic could stop drinking if he or she "would just use a little willpower."

Other theories regarding the cause of alcoholism include:

-- That anyone who drinks enough over a long period of time can become alcoholic.

-- That alcoholism is an environmental product, influenced by one's surroundings. There are areas of the country where drinking is much more acceptable than in other areas; and, therefore, more drinkers can be found there. There are also occupations which appear to attract heavy drinkers. These include popular musicians, poets, novelists, salesmen, career soldiers and sailors, and coal miners.

-- That alcoholism is caused by an individual's "allergy" to alcohol.

-- That this person metabolizes alcohol differently than others.

-- That it is caused by either a deficiency or excess of neurotransmitters in the chemical make up of the brain.

-- That the disease is genetically influenced. Research has made it increasingly clear that the genes people inherit can contribute to the development of alcoholism. In the last few years, studies have persuasively demonstrated that approximately one half of all alcoholic persons have inherited a genetic predisposition --or susceptibility--to the disease. Studies of twins and adoptees have shown that children who have a biological parent who is alcoholic are four times more likely to develop alcoholism than the children of non-alcoholics. For sons of alcoholic fathers, the risk is even higher. This is true regardless of the environment in which they are raised.

The disease of alcoholism may be compared to that of diabetes--while the individual is not responsible for developing the disease, he or she is responsible for carefully following a treatment program once they know they have it. As with other chronic diseases, the symptoms of alcoholism may "go away" with treatment, but the disease is still present in a controlled form. In other words, the disease is in remission as long as the alcoholic doesn't use alcohol. Although incurable and potentially fatal, it is important to remember that alcoholism is also among the most treatable of all chronic diseases.