#2 Alcoholism was perceived as a moral deviance in the past, and so the community, including the family and the religious leader, were the ones who responded to this behavior. Today, it is perceived as an actual illness, and it has become a cultural norm to perceive it as a medical condition, to which doctors and therapists respond. In the past, alcoholism had a stigma, and people would talk (gossip) about the alcoholic and how horrible his or her actions were, how his or her actions were selfish and were destroying his or her finances, career and loved ones. People also socially shunned the alcoholic. Today, there is more compassion and empathy for the alcoholic, as people now understand addiction (of any kind) to be an illness, over which the alcoholic or addict has no power or control. Where people may have shunned the alcoholic in previous times, now people seek them out to encourage them to get help (rehabilitation, therapy, etc), or to offer words of encouragement, a prayer, or even a smile. I think the transformation of alcoholism from a moral/legal deviance into a medical condition is a positive change because I personally believe that addictions are not a conscious choice but a result of how chemicals interact with and affect the body. While the initial drinks (alcoholic), or taking of drugs may be a conscious choice, I don’t think the desire/need to return to it over and over again (without care as to the consequences) is a result of the same kind of choice being made as in the first few times. I think that alcoholism, and addictions in general, is being much more effectively dealt with when approaching them as medical conditions. The normalization of the kinder, more compassionate response to these diseases allows for the alcoholics and other addicts to seek help for their problems without the feeling of shame or hopelessness.