The 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous written about 70 years ago, 
after the first hundred members became sober. Their conception of alcoholism at the time was that it was a three part illness, consisting of the mental, physical and spiritual components.
They described the mental part of the disease of alcoholism as having to do with the obsession. Is it about the distorted thinking that makes the need to drink the most important aspect of our life.
The physical part of the disease involves the idea of compulsion. That is the phenomenon of continuing to drink after taking that first drink is the inability to control or set and keep limits on our drinking. The original Alcoholics Anonymous concept of alcoholismim was that of the physical allergy. The dictionary describes an allergy as an unusual reaction to a common substance. The common substance was alcohol; the unusual reaction was the compulsion to drink more and the mental obsession with it.
This is a spiritual disease has to do we the erosion of our values. Those concepts would use to hold near in dear such as honesty pride and integrity, tend to lose their significance as are addiction progresses. Another spiritual aspect of the disease is the propensity to become isolated and disconnected from our family, are higher power, and perhaps most importantly ourselves.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I am 29 years old (ok, turning 30 in one month) and until entering into addiction recovery I have never concentrated on my spirituality.
Somehow, until now, it has never presented itself as a need. This could be due to using drugs and alcohol since a very early age.
It now seems that my spirituality needs are right up there with all of my other basic needs that need to be met. I am much happier for it.
The disease of addiction is PRIMARY, and this means that the medical and science community does NOT, repeat NOT know what causes it.
To understand what kind of a disease addiction is look at what treats it. The spiritual program of AA, NA, SAA, OA and GA.
It is a spiritual disease.