Alcoholics as a problem of alcohol control policy

The harmful consequences of excessive drinking are emphasized by the sorry plight of the alcoholic. It is only natural that those who are professionally involved in controlling alcohol problems should be very interested in alcoholics. Nevertheless, a measure of controversy exists about how alcoholism should be viewed. There are two main arguments. On the one hand, those who hold that control measures should be liberalized and the public encouraged to adopt moderate drinking habits maintain that the alcoholic is beyond redemption. Alcoholics are addicted to drink, must and will have it, and lie outside the scope of alcohol control policy. Those who believe that alcohol should be subject to strong measures of control, on the other hand, contend that sufficiently thoroughgoing steps will affect even the pathological drunk.