IANAP but you argue based on the fallacy that depression would be the opposite of happiness. FYI, happiness is to sadness as mania is to depression. "Alcohol d

IANAP but you argue based on the fallacy that depression would be the opposite of happiness. FYI, happiness is to sadness as mania is to depression. "Alcohol dependence" is the medical term for alcoholism. There are people who drink too much, want to drink less, see their lives and loved ones destroyed by their drinking, yet they can't stop drinking. Welcome to the world of addictions. As a layman it's easy to understand someone is ill when they have bad fever or other visible, physical problems preventing them from living a normal life. It's not so easy when it's constant pain or headaches that you can't "prove". It's even less easy when it's a mental illness that you can't really even start to image unless you experience it yourself such as the anxiety attacks or the obsessive-compulsive disorder. I agree the modern society and way of life makes the problem worse by being more mentally demanding, but I'm sure there's always been mental illness. It's something that people need outside understanding and help to cope with -- just like physical illness.