Alcoholism is a disease of volition. Calling alcoholism a disease infers that there is an invasive pathology present where none exists. Calling alcoholism a disease infers the possibility of a heritable genetic lineage with a predetermined immutable eventuality where no such heritable genetic link has been proven. Calling alcoholism a disease tends to impede the motivation and the desire to change within the alcoholic for everyone knows that one is not responsible for possessing a disease. When one possesses a disease everyone readily acknowledges the lack of volitional control.
Alcoholism ceases to exist when the alcoholic volitionally chooses to stop drinking.
The one common prerequisite for all psychotherapeutic modalities is for the client to possess the desire and motivation to change oneself. Desire alone, inspires the motivation to change. Without desire and motivation change is not possible. If rehabilitational therapeutic modalities could force or coerce change without desire and motivation being present within the individual, then our prison systems would release convicts who would subsequently be honest and decent citizens. But in spite of our best-coerced efforts, we continue to release criminals from our prisons, students who fail, and alcoholism flourishes.