Which statement best illustrates the medicalization of alcoholism?

Which statement best illustrates the medicalization of alcoholism?

• A. Drinking problems are always a moral failing and require punishment.
• B. Alcoholism is defined as a disease, not a personal choice.
• C. There is no difference in public perception between past and present.
• D. Alcoholism is solely a matter of willpower and cannot be treated.

Answer: (B)

Medicalization means framing alcoholism as a health issue rather than a moral failing or personal weakness. The statement that alcoholism is defined as a disease, not a personal choice, best illustrates this shift because it treats the problem as one that can be diagnosed, studied, and treated by medical professionals. This view supports medical interventions, ongoing care, and research into biological and psychological factors, and it can reduce stigma by moving away from blame. The other ideas don’t fit this shift. Seeing drinking problems as a moral failing and requiring punishment keeps the issue in the realm of judgment rather than health care. Claiming there’s no difference in public perception over time ignores the move toward medical explanations and treatment. Saying alcoholism is all about willpower with no possibility of treatment denies the medical approach and the existence of effective therapies.

Medicalization means framing alcoholism as a health issue rather than a moral failing or personal weakness. The statement that alcoholism is defined as a disease, not a personal choice, best illustrates this shift because it treats the problem as one that can be diagnosed, studied, and treated by medical professionals. This view supports medical interventions, ongoing care, and research into biological and psychological factors, and it can reduce stigma by moving away from blame.

The other ideas don’t fit this shift. Seeing drinking problems as a moral failing and requiring punishment keeps the issue in the realm of judgment rather than health care. Claiming there’s no difference in public perception over time ignores the move toward medical explanations and treatment. Saying alcoholism is all about willpower with no possibility of treatment denies the medical approach and the existence of effective therapies.