Alcoholism and other addictions are treatable diseases, and when they are properly treated, those affected can lead productive, healthy lives.
Years of scientific research and science-based treatment shows that addiction is a medical condition that should be treated like any other chronic illness.
The 2008 expansion of the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996, which requires equal treatment for insurance coverage of mental health and addiction disorders to that for physical ailments, shows that the majority of our elected officials understand this.