The sick role, labelling theory, and the deviant drinker.

Much effort in recent years has been directed toward educating the public in the United States regarding the definition of alcoholism and deviant drinking as medical problems rather than as criminal offenses. 12,24 These efforts are reflected in the various publications of the Rutgers (formerly Yale) Centre for Alcohol Studies, the U.S. Public Health Service, and the National Council on Alcoholism. Likewise, as the therapeutic effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous has become increasingly visible, the public has become aware of the assumption that is held by this organization that a form of physical allergy leads to alcoholism. The A.A. concept is somewhat different from the traditional medical model, but the two conceptions share a strong tendency to reduce individual responsibility for the genesis of alcoholism.