... associated with demonic possession, or sin (Conrad & Schneider, 1980). These days, alcoholism is known as a disease by the medical community and the general public. This change in knowledge did not arise on its own. Real people, doctors, psychiatrists, and academics presented enough convincing theories and evidence about the nature of constant drunkenness that the general public was ultimately persuaded to look at things differently. (Berger & Luckmann 1967) Objectivation Social reality acting back on us This is the second and most critical stage of reality construction. Objectivation takes place when the facts that were initially someone's ideas or theories take on an objective reality of their own, independent of the people who first created (externalized) them. (Berger & Luckmann, 1967). It is a clear fact in the minds of most people these days that alcoholism is, and always has been, an illness. As this fact develops in to part of ...

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