I believe alcoholism is a disease, and is passed along in the genes. Good news, it is treatable and can be put into remission, where it poses no problem whatsoever.
The responsibility to treat the illnes rests ENTIRELY with the afficted person.
In no way should the definition of the illness be used as an excuse for illegal behavior.
Amen.
This all boils down to how one defines "disease".
Sometimes I get in a bad mood. That could be a disease. Sometimes I am hungry. I have a "food imbalance". It was inherited. When my mothers stomach was empty, she had a food imbalance too. The same thing happens to me. Ergo, I inherited "the gene".
It's really just as simple as to what level you define somethign as a disease.