The new mental health diagnostic guide may broaden the definition of alcohol abuse. Deni Carise calms fears:
[T]he new DSM will not cause more people to be diagnosed with addiction. Instead, more people who may not yet be addicted (but whose drug use is nonetheless problematic and unhealthy) will be able to access very inexpensive but proven effective treatment earlier and easier. Treating these folks is no different from treating those in the early stages of diabetes — it requires minimal professional help, some education, and simple lifestyle changes. We wouldn’t wait until a pre-diabetic started experiencing the symptoms of full-blown diabetes before we offered him or her help. Instead, we would intervene early in hopes of preventing such a difficult future. The same should apply for those with early substance misuse.
Keith Humphreys, meanwhile, argues that labeling risky behavior risky isn’t a moral judgement.
via The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/andrewsullivan/rApM/~3/5LQCz_Xbnn4/40-percent-alcoholics-ctd.html