I have received a number of comments on my original post and I want to make sure I'm absolutely clear. My intention was to use the issue of liver transplantation to highlight how some people view alcoholics as being at fault for their alcoholism.

There are multiple issues surrounding organ donation. One of these is that the clinical team performing the transplant has to determine whether the person receiving the organ is fit and healthy enough to receive it. Having a current diagnosis of alcoholism will obviously impact that assessment. In the oft-cited hypothetical situation where a surgeon has to choose between giving a liver to an alcoholic vs a non-alcoholic patient, that surgeon may well conclude that, due to a likelihood of further alcohol abuse, the alcoholic will not benefit as much from the liver as the non-alcoholic. This clinical assessment is not the issue for me, it makes perfect sense.