Abstract
The temperance movement (and Prohibition) was based on a 19th century realization that drunkenness was a vice, not only of the wastrel rich and the improvident poor, but also of the middle classes. Alcohol itself was seen as the culprit. However, modern views of alcoholism emphasize that many individuals enjoy drinking without experiencing any alcohol-related difficulties and that one therefore should focus on problem drinkers rather than on alcohol use. In fact, alcoholism is now thought by many to be a disease or a psychiatric disorder rather than a moral weakness. This is reflected in the inclusion of alcohol abuse and of alcohol dependence in the DSM-III. Tables 39 and 40 describe the diagnostic criteria for these two conditions.
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© 1986 Plenum Publishing Corporation
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Vandenberg, S.G., Singer, S.M., Pauls, D.L. (1986). Heredity and Alcoholism. In: The Heredity of Behavior Disorders in Adults and Children. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5071-2_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5071-2_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-5073-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-5071-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive