Court Opinion

ID: 9476001
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 05:45:15.338536+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:45:04.813306
License: Public Domain

SNEED, Circuit Judge,
dissenting:
I would affirm the judgment of the district court.
The majority recognizes that an uncontrollable addiction to alcohol may not prevent the person so addicted from undertaking gainful activity. See supra p. 559. A fortiori one who can control the use of alcohol is not for that reason alone prevented from undertaking gainful activity. The issue in both instances is whether the seeker of disability benefits can or cannot undertake gainful activity. Controllability or no is certainly relevant to this issue. Uncontrollable addiction is strong evidence of inability to undertake gainful activity. It is not, however, conclusive evidence. Moreover, as the majority points out, a condition precedent to establishing disability by rea*562son of alcoholism is a showing that it is uncontrollable. See supra p. 560.
In this case the Administrative Law Judge found that Cooper had established neither that his alcoholism was uncontrollable nor that he was unable to undertake gainful activity. The latter finding is supported by substantial evidence. Therefore, I would affirm the judgment below.