Is an Alcoholic a Drug Addict?
- Thread starter marrykonta
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I'm an alcoholic. I stopped drinking about 2 and a half years ago after finally accepting that I couldn't just cut down. I'd love to be able to enjoy alcohol responsibly but for all the hours of practice I put in trying just that I never managed it.
After stopping I went to a few AA meetings but found them no help at all, the reason being that everyone there was still obsessed by alcohol. It was the only thing that they all talked about. What I found was that if I wasn't drinking I preferred not to think about it. (On the other hand I know that for some alcoholics AA does work better than going it alone.)
I miss it now but not as much as I used to. When I was drinking I would miss it all the time except for when I was actually drinking. They say that a recovering alcoholic takes it "one day at a time". Well, that's how I used to live before I stopped, but now I can see that I have a real future. I can think further ahead than the next chance to get tanked up.
I've no idea what it's like to be addicted to any other drug or how hard it would be to stop, but to anyone who wants to stop drinking I can tell you that wonderful as booze is, life is better without.
After stopping I went to a few AA meetings but found them no help at all, the reason being that everyone there was still obsessed by alcohol. It was the only thing that they all talked about. What I found was that if I wasn't drinking I preferred not to think about it. (On the other hand I know that for some alcoholics AA does work better than going it alone.)
I miss it now but not as much as I used to. When I was drinking I would miss it all the time except for when I was actually drinking. They say that a recovering alcoholic takes it "one day at a time". Well, that's how I used to live before I stopped, but now I can see that I have a real future. I can think further ahead than the next chance to get tanked up.
I've no idea what it's like to be addicted to any other drug or how hard it would be to stop, but to anyone who wants to stop drinking I can tell you that wonderful as booze is, life is better without.
Actually, the research seems to indicate that your odds of sobering up are about the same with or without a program.
Unfortunately, the research is not conclusive and certainly does not tell the same tale for each unique individual. Even if the research showed a correlation constant of -1, that is it showed that every person that entered a rehab program failed, that still would not be conclusive since correlation is not proof but a statistical metric. Every day a baby is born. Also, every day a bird poops somewhere in the world. As such, the correlation between a baby being born and a bird pooping somewhere in the world is 1. Does either have bearing on the other? No. Without conclusive results and consensus, the efficacy of rehab programs is certainly still not certain.
Dondare was not referring to rehab but to AA.
Research has found that around 5% of alcoholics sober up every year, with or without a program.
around 80% sober up without a program, so that's not a small, insignificant percentage.
5 % is not a much of a credible number.
5 % probably sober up by dying, cirrhosis is a sobering process.
Almost all substances and activities that give pleasure or respite, are "addictive".
Cycling, at least, only dents the wallet and not the internals.
I never criticize addicts. They are just trying to get along and not blow apart.
I blow gas. It does not rot. Don't do anything if you can stand to live unaided?
A life in balance does not need drugs, so much as the cliche of hugs.
Bill Watson's last words, nearly, he giggled to his wife,
"Look'it me? I'm have-in a ba-beee."
His gut was that swollen, as his liver shut down and the rest of him, skeletonized.
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We can't say that moderate drinking is any form of sure death.
Ernie's daddy was a dentist born in...1895...he drank one shot of straight scotch
every other day, as a "tonic". That was considered common sense, germs.
Abe lived ninety seven years, succumbing to prostate or bladder cancer, we suppose.
Well, no autopsy was done, but it's clear as rainwater:
if the demon liquor don't get you from the top it will rot you from the bottoms up.
5 % probably sober up by dying, cirrhosis is a sobering process.
Almost all substances and activities that give pleasure or respite, are "addictive".
Cycling, at least, only dents the wallet and not the internals.
I never criticize addicts. They are just trying to get along and not blow apart.
I blow gas. It does not rot. Don't do anything if you can stand to live unaided?
A life in balance does not need drugs, so much as the cliche of hugs.
Bill Watson's last words, nearly, he giggled to his wife,
"Look'it me? I'm have-in a ba-beee."
His gut was that swollen, as his liver shut down and the rest of him, skeletonized.
_____________________________________
We can't say that moderate drinking is any form of sure death.
Ernie's daddy was a dentist born in...1895...he drank one shot of straight scotch
every other day, as a "tonic". That was considered common sense, germs.
Abe lived ninety seven years, succumbing to prostate or bladder cancer, we suppose.
Well, no autopsy was done, but it's clear as rainwater:
if the demon liquor don't get you from the top it will rot you from the bottoms up.
It's about getting bombed outta yer mind and the loosing touch with reality part that are addictive, at least the mental aspect of the addiction. That's why social drinking, and it's implied consumption are usually not a problem. The underlying motivations are very different. The problem arises when one is looking to leave the current perception of reality and enter another, usually to escape some pain or facilitate some fantasy, which are often tied into the same underlying cause.
In my opinion, alcohol is not a drug but thats not to say it isnt an addiction, cause it most certainly is for some people.
Under a medical definition, no, but under the colloquial use of the term, I'd say yes. But remember, there are "good" addictions as well as bad - well, IMHO anyway. Addicted to riding or running, good, addicted to vodka mixed with crystal meth and oxycontin, bad.jhuskey said:
Addiction is addiction, regardless of what you want to call it. Afterall,
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
Addiction is addiction, regardless of what you want to call it. Afterall,
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
This is the debate of the century. Is alcoholism a disease or simply an addiction? If we are led to believe it's a disease, that means that the person can't help it and all responsibility is off their shoulders. It's like a small child who develops cancer. It's certainly not the child's fault that he has the terrible disease. Likewise, if the alcoholic 'can't help it' then there's no reason for that person to take any responsibility for his actions. BUT... if the person is addicted... then the responsibility is all his and he must do something about it if he wants to change. This is one reason why addicts prefer to have alcoholism referred to as a disease, so the responsibility lies beyond their control and they don't have to feel guilty for taking that next drink.
But addiction is a disease. These are not mutually exclusive terms in recognizing an issue such as alcoholism is. And about legality, well, many drugs are legal for medication under regulated doses. Morphine is an opioid and is widely used to pain treatment, and now with Marihuana being legal in several regions then you can realize now that legal status doesn't deny the fact we are dealing with drugs.
Well of course it's not drug addiction, it's alcoholic addiction, but they are both addiction. Alcohol is not really good in our body specially if you drink daily. This is just another form of substance to boost our mind and adrenaline which is not really good if we consumed a lot.
There's a different category for alcohol addiction due to the difference in its effects and its withdrawal symptoms compared to drugs, but it can be argued that alcohol can be classified as a drug.
