There’s No Such Thing As An “Alcoholic”

There’s a spectrum of alcohol use disorder (AUD)

No one knows what the word means

Few words contain as much social stigma as the word “alcoholic.” It’s a label that no one wants or asks for. Yet, no one can tell you precisely what it means — not even Alcoholics Anonymous.

Here’s what AA has to say about alcoholism:

While there is no formal “A.A. definition” of alcoholism, the majority of our members agree that, for most of us, it could be described as a physical compulsion, coupled with a mental obsession.

I highlighted the “could-be” terms in that definition, showing that even Alcoholics Anonymous isn’t clear on the meaning. The word alcoholic is just a colloquialism, like “drunk” or “lush.” It has no clinical definition, and it’s not intended as a medical diagnosis.

The reason we should stop using such an antiquated word is simple: the term “Alcoholic” paints a misleading picture of a spectrum disorder.

If we can’t represent it accurately, how can we hope to treat it or stop it before it progresses?

We now have a better understanding of what the disorder is than AA had when they first used the term “alcoholism” in the AA Big Book in 1939 (before there was a cure for polio).

The medical term is…