Can Alcoholism Be Cured?

No, the current research supports that alcoholism is a potentially fatal disease which alters the biochem. Patterns of the brain and results in symptoms that manifest in life-threatening changes in biochemprocesses and physical changes, such as metabolism, atrophy of brain tissue, and is primary in many others diseases such as liver, heart, kidney, pancreatic disease, and skin cancer, among others. One may abstain from alcohol, but the disease is arrested or slowed in its advancement, rather than cured. Just as those with lupus, MG, MS may live out their lives with disease, alcoholics live out their lives with the disease while managing symptoms through abstention. Sober is a realization of behavior which controls symptoms, not a cure. The addiction is lifelong, even if controlled. The greatest symptom is apparent when the alcoholic fails to abstain. Certainly there are cases of dementia, atrophy, and withdrawal associated with the disease and an alcohol dependence.

All of that said, the greatest problem in society seems to be defining among the non-medical ranks what constitutes or defines "alcoholism" with consistency. There are, of course, symptoms listed in the medical model of the disease, and classified in medical and mental health diagnoses, yet there seems to be confusion in layperson terms of the differences between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency/addiction (and to confound things further), symptomology, etiology (causes and progression variables) and epidemiology (distribution). Some lay persons wish to insist that alcoholism is merely drug addiction, but research defies this. Still, the old model and lack of understanding of the disease appears to persist, particularly among the less educated and poorer of our populations.

No it cannot be cured and will not reiterate the reasons above. However there is one primary factor that they have left out. It is also been shown to be genetic. I have a strong genetic link because both my grandfathers and an uncle were alcoholics. I know that I need to abstain, though I did not when I was younger. It has also been shown that those with the genetic disposition towards alcoholism have a different brain chemistry and they actually break down alcohol differently than "normal" people.

As with any addiction, you are never really cured. Myself being a smoker who has quit twice. That is, I began mid 20's and quit around 30 for a few years, picked up the habit again saying one would not hurt and have been away now for a few years telling myself I will never go back. I have to remind myself regularly though as I still consider myself a smoker in recovery.

I do also drink. Began in my teens (you, I know). At times, I consider myself an alcoholic as I do drink regularly. During my marriage, I would only drink a few times a year but would still drink. Now that I am divorced and on my own, I have picked dup drinking again. Guess this is true indication that I am an alcoholic and that there is really no cure but choices can be made in life to minimize the effects, at least in my case. In many others, they are beyond being able to make a choice and strive to live for their next drink.

I don't think alcoholism can be cured because you never stop being an alcoholic. You can refrain from and get better by staying sober but overall you're still an alcoholic. Its the same as junkies. Earlier this year a guy came to my school to talk about drugs and how he was once was a really big junkie but now, even though he's sober, he's still a junkie. He said so because if there was a line of coke on the projector right in front of him he would probably do it as would almost all sober junkies and that's why they're still junkies although they're sober. Because they still itch for it. I'm assuming alcoholism is the same way. You can get sober and change you're life but you're still an alcoholic.

In short I would say alcoholism is managed, rather than cured.

I  am a recovering addict and parts of what you all have added is
true. I have been sober for 10 years but I am only one drink or one drug from returning to full addiction and return to it like I never stopped. It's a terrible disease.

Someone with an addictive personality may be more prone to drinking in excess than a person without this addictive personality trait. If this is genetic by nature, what hope would there be for someone that knows they have a drinking problem and quits drinking before any body chemistry changes occur in their body or mind? If the alcoholism goes into remission and the person never drinks again, why would the disease eventually kill the person rather than go into remission for good?

It is not cured it can only be taken under control.

No I do not believe it can it can only be arrested by abstinence once you start drinking again it will start all over again the cycle that is.

Of course it can be cured. Can you imagine someone coming up to Jesus and saying: You raised the dead, healed the sick, brought sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, and restoration to the lame. Can you heal me? Then imagine Jesus saying: No. You only can have a daily reprieve because once blind always blind; once a leper always a leper; once dead always dead; once lame never walk again. Would he add: I'm powerless over your alcoholism. Here are the folks that said Jesus Christ permanently cured the alcoholics of the 1930's--Dr. William D. Silkworth, the rescue missions, the Salvation Army, the evangelists, the YMCA lay workers, William G. Wilson, Robert H. Smith, William Dotson, Clarence Snyder, and scores of others for more than a decade. Early AAs sought the power of God, and that was what healed them--not negative concessions that they would be helpless and hopeless forever unless they attended meetings daily.