Conceptions of alcoholism

Alcoholism educators have assumed that endorsement of the disease concept of alcoholism would reduce the moral stigma associated with the condition, thereby promoting a more humanitarian approach to the alcoholic. The present study presents data relevant to these assumptions. Measures of beliefs about the medical and moral nature of alcoholism were collected from 1,446 work supervisors in federal agencies. Additionally, social acceptance, tolerance of the alcoholic's absenteeism, and charitable responses to the alcoholic were measured. Results indicated that beliefs about the moral character of the alcoholic and beliefs about the medical nature of alcoholism are significant predictors of social acceptance of the alcoholic, tolerance of work behavior of the alcoholic, and a charitable response to the alcoholic. Findings are discussed in terms of the importance of educational efforts aimed at dispelling beliefs about the moral nature of alcoholism.