Check into re-hab, say three "Hail Marys" and receive PR absolution (the only important kind)

Hell hath no fury like a middle aged actress spat out and scorned by a youth obsessed Hollywood.

Dude! Blade Runner! Rachael!

You think anyone reading Heat would know who she was?

Funny that.

I thought any dependency on a substance was a means of escapism, a fear of the (ir)rational world, and an inability to cope with every day life.

Is this disease contagious? Congenital? Or do we just want to give these folk some reason for how they feel which isn't "You're a waste of space. Man up a little."

Blade Runner was awesome.

I suspect Ms Young's actions were a test designed to provoke an emotional response.

Looks like Anons don't know what diseases are.

For instance, I have recently been diagnosed as having Menieres Disease, and I can assure you, I didn't get it from listening to a toilet seat, as fun as that sounds.

The worst aspect of Alcohilism-as-disease is it's the only disease for which courts will order you to believe in jeebus or go to prisum.

To answer the pedants:

1. You can contract it socially

2. You can pick up vulnerabilities to it genetically

3. It is neither viral nor bacterial, but psychological

4. if "man up and get over it" was enough, then it wouldn't be such a global problem, would it?

I'm assuming that the above posters think all addicts are weak, and just like a drink: though that may make the posters feel clever, it's not the case.

Going back to previous stories: Maybe Tom Cruise is a replicant. Could it be that all Scientoligists are replicants? Sounds logical to me!

Anonymous for obvious reasons.

All conversations degrade to this type of subject matter. Sorry.

First the quote

"Her PR firm announced yesterday: "Sean Young voluntarily admitted herself yesterday to a rehabilitation center for treatment related to alcoholism. It is understood that Young has struggled against the disease for many years." "

PR companies are paid by their client to type and write this puke, but really when has alcoholism been a disease? A Disease is a virus, as Ash said, it's not really contagious it's not airborne (further studies may be required, a grant for research would be nice) it certainly isn't DNA dependent. So it's a psychological issue of stimulant= feeling good - making an idiot of yourself in public/losing your driving license (cus you were that stupid) = losing your job, losing money, stealing to pay for cheap cans of stella and so on.

Can a poor person be an alcoholic? Can an actress whom not many people would know unless they saw blade runner and liked it and realized twenty years after the fact, realized who it was come be called a famous thespian enter a rehab without press attention?

As a fellow human being, I wish here well in overcoming her demons - if she believes she has any.

Me, I'm going to the pub. It being an evening. It being a day off. And of course there's darts as well.

There is world of difference!

'alcholism' = you cannot last a day, an hour even, without alchol - usually typified by bottles being hidden everywhere...

'likes to drink a bit' = hey, it's raining outside, the temp is 5 degrees, "no, mate, drank too much last night, still suffering...."

A real alcholic never gets a hangover, they never stop drinking! - and they would brave freezing rain to get a fix...

And the first step is admitting you have a problem......

Not that you have a "disease". You admit that you are an addict and are powerless.

I don't care how many people quote wikipedia (yeah, great source) or online dictionaries regarding the status of alcoholism as a disease.

Calling alcoholism a disease is an insult to truly ill people.

To answer some points:

"You can contract it socially"

LOL hilarious. Lets also call vandalism a disease, because weak minded sheep who cannot control themselves or their impulses can contract that socially too.

"You can pick up vulnerabilities to it genetically"

Can we have some proof on this one please. If ones parents are alcoholics, then one may follow the pattern due to learnt behavior, but there is no proof for a physical, genetic factor.

"It is neither viral nor bacterial, but psychological"

Agreed, but just because a person is psychologically weak, it doesn't justify a "disease" tag. Mentally ill perhaps, but not diseased.

"I'm assuming that the above posters think all addicts are weak, and just like a drink".

Actually, I DO feel that they are weak, and yes, they did start and continue drinking because they liked a drink. Nobody starts on the road to alcoholism because the don't like a drink.

Most of us who enjoy a drink have the psychological strength and sense not to abuse it - it's not like in this day and age that the dangers of alcohol are a big secret.

Calling alcoholism a disease is a way of excusing it. If its called a disease, you can imply that the person had no choice about it.

People prefer to call it a disease rather than an addiction because they want to avoid the negative impression addiction implies.

Hardly admitting you have a problem is it. Oh well, back to step one for you.

I wonder if the DT's will make her dream of electric sheep

Being a female 40-something actress in Hollywoodland must be difficult. Unless you are one of (Angelica Houston | Glen Close | Meryl Weep) you've got no chance of a gig. Bravo to her for enjoying a drink and speaking her mind once in a while.