Individuals who drink excessively to the point of intoxication and still function are different from many who drink less and are seen daily on the street corners. Their addiction totally interferes with their ability to survive successfully in society. By the time society identifies the individuals with the genetic potential, though, it is often too late to alter the course of their lives. For many years medical and legal efforts focused on types of drugs and the differences between various drugs, such as alcohol, cocaine, tranquilizers, or other sedatives. It is now known that addiction is not drug-specific.
Alcoholism is drug addiction.
The cocaine addict has the same disease, requires the same treatment, and requires the same abstinence as the alcoholic. A basic tenet of recovery is total abstinence from all mood-altering substances. An understanding of the nature of addiction requires an understanding of neurotransmitters and related interactions in the human brain stem. Although an article of this nature is not intended to be scientifically detailed, it is necessary to understand the primitive nature of the disorder and to have an understanding of the phenomena of denial. In those with potential for addiction, however, far more happens within the brain.