Defining alcoholism as a disease is associated with Jellinek
The formation of AA â Alcoholics Anonymous â in the 1930s and the publication of noted psychiatrist and Director of the Center of Alcohol Studies at Yale Medical School E. M. Jellinekâs famous book defining the concept of alcoholism as a medical disease facilitated moving alcoholism into a different light.s alcoholism is an addiction, it is considered a disease of the brain. The brain has been physically altered by extended exposure to alcohol, causing it to function differently and therefore creating addictive behavior.