It’s Not Underlying Causes. It’s the Alcohol.

When it comes to alcoholism, we seem fixated on discussing the underlying causes. Some people have childhood trauma as a factor. Others face tremendous stress or financial issues. Still others struggle to grieve the loss of close friends or family members. The underlying issues vary making predicting occurrences of alcoholism challenging. But all of these underlying issues have one thing in common.

It’s the alcohol.

Why isn’t alcohol consumption the leading indicator of the disease of alcoholism?

According to a Reuters article from June of 2010, lung cancer is the most common form of cancer worldwide. The article cites research that indicates that 90% of all cases of lung cancer are caused by cigarette smoking. Lung cancer killed 1.2 million people a year a decade ago. The conclusion is easy. Cigarette smoking causes lung cancer, and lung cancer kills a ton of people. So, cigarettes kill people.

Have you ever heard anyone discuss the underlying causes of cigarette consumption? I haven’t. Cigarettes are addictive, they have a stress-soothing effect, and their use was previously driven by cultural acceptance. That sounds a lot like alcohol.

Yet, when it comes to alcohol, we get stuck talking about underlying causes. The World Health Organization estimates…