The media has a problem with alcoholism – and it's stopping people getting help

Alcoholism as a term has long expired, so why do common narratives around alcohol problems still rely on it so much?The term alcoholism has long been retired from official alcoholclinical andpolicy guidance, abandoned as a reductionist and stigmatising label for problem drinking. Instead,alcohol use disorders, some including varying degrees of dependency, reflect the wider continuum nature of alcohol problems. Despite this, inappropriate references to “alcoholics” are ubiquitous in everyday narratives including mainstream media, undermining opportunities to reduce alcohol harms in a number of subtle ways.One reason for over use of the alcoholism concept may be alack of a common language to describe thenuances of heavy drinking behaviours. Alcoholism may be assumed to be synonymous with alcohol dependence, but it is inherently bound to stereotypes of hitting rock bottom and beliefs in its nature as a lifelong disease. The media rarely offers alternative problem drinking accounts other than the equallyflawed spectacle of binge drinking, and in turn perpetuates an overly simplistic framework for the public to reference their own beliefs and attitudes against.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Science Alcohol Alcoholism Health Society Source Type: news
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