ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE - AN ILLNESS WITH A TREATMENT

Unlike some countries, Britain may have experienced a rise rather than a fall in alcohol-related illness during a decade when consumption ha s not risen. Objections to the ''illness concept'' may impede our visi on and the range of services we develop. It is possible to agree with objectors to the illness concept that a unidimensional view is unhelpf ul; that explanations are often only attributions; that the construct ''illness'' is not needed for help to be offered, tu use could undermi ne self-mastery, and its misuse can breach civil rights. Learning can explain much over-drinking. However, the concept need not imply bimoda lity of drinkers; the syndrome of alcohol dependence has uses and does not imply a cause; physical and mental explanations are not incompati ble; genetic and biochemical research has promise. Developments in tre atment are still limited, but the mysteries of the free-will dilemma s hould not prevent us seeing physiological, psychological and social co ntributants as partners rather than rivals.