[uncitizen]

Go out and make some good decisions.

You came very close to a lawsuit by Dr. Laura for that one :)

I agree with your assessment of alcholism. The "ism" is the part that makes it sound like a disease. The name my family used for a person who was drunk all the time was a "drunk".

[Repealthe17thAmendment]

As I understand alcoholism, it's a two-fold problem- an obsession of the mind and an "allergy" of the body.

The obsession aspect means that an alcoholic will continue to drink, even knowing that it will probably lead to problems, and somehow thinks that it will be different the next time.

The physical aspect or "allergy" refers to the physical craving that develops once alcohol has been ingested.

Whether that qualifies as a disease is debataable.. All I know is that the physical part can be avoided simply by not taking that first drink. The obsession, however, is much trickier to overcome.