ALCOHOLIC: VICTIM OR CULPRIT? RULING REFUELS CONTROVERSY.(Perspective)

Byline: Robert Cooke

T here are endless jokes about drinking and alcohol, such as, "Work is the curse of the drinking man."

But the reality of alcoholism is no joke. Excessive drinking costs the nation $116.8 billion annually in lost productivity, support for families, medical treatments and property damage. It is thought to be involved in half the nation's 44,000 highway deaths every year, about 10,000 murders annually and a similar number of suicides.

Who, or what, is responsible for alcoholism? Is it nature - one's inborn biological drives - or nurture - what one has learned - that causes alcoholism? Doctors, lawyers, psychologists and other professionals are involved in a shrill argument over that important question. And the answer is far from clear.

If alcoholism is a disease, and the alcoholic is innocent of blame, then he or she should be treated as a victim, subject to insurance, sick leave and other …