Comments on: Is alcoholism a disease, or is it just a drink problem?

By: Marty

Marty — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 22:07:32 +0000

Like yourself tj.I had to dig deeper
iam coming 4 yrs sober,smoked from
the age of 14 smoke weed from about
16 and nearly all drugs u can think of
no needles,thank god.In all I would
say 18 yrs of my life,I was in my own
bubble.until I ended up in a nut house
for six wks.It was in there I with help
began to wake up.simply because
for the first time in my life I felt at
home.ha that woke me up.
But when I came out I had to be gently
pushed that way.aa changed my life
or should I say the programme….
The first words that stuck with me
was take the gd out of the bad.
I didn’t enjoy my home group meetings
being from n.Ireland there was still
those same old issues….
After six wks of that I decided go
bck to work.big decision drink and drugs
heaven.that’s were I met my sponsor
and 5mnths later I had done the pro
not greatly with my sponsor but
take the gd out of the bad ect.
Any hoo,that’s when I leant more on
the weed and now and then coke.
Now the program works for all these
jst replace the one word alcholic to
drugs,overeating,sex,gambling ect
ect.that’s wot started to eat me how
was it a disease when all these other
disorders can rule even destroy and
kill.wot was the differnce????
NONE.I have stopped puffing the last
six months.
Yea grt.how???
By Cing shrinks drug rehab and a
shit load of prescribed drugs.
Which made me no shit like a
fckin zombie.
So I dug deeper,cancer runs in my
family and we have lost love ones.
Now it is a illness.which is a gene
that most people unfortunitly are
born with.without knowing and it’s
nomally smoking obvly,trauma ect
can awaken it.
I beleive therefore to my insane in
the membrain thinking,beleive
that this is a gene that some of us
r born with,and wither drink,drugs
over eatin anoreixic ect ect.
Again brought on by childhood
afflictions or trauma ect.
Srry for going on there.but liked
wot u were saying.
I have uncles who hold on to the
old principles but sober 17yrs
don’t forget this was formed in the
can’t think but b w and dr bobs
age.It’s old.when all these problems
there is now,it was the one that
was the worst then and now.
But as they say if it’s not broke
don’t fix it.gd outta bad…
It is as simple as….
One day at a time

By: David LM

David LM — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:58:47 +0000

When I first went to an AA meeting, it took me less than an hour to be convinced that I was an alcoholic. The diagnosis is based on how you drink or drank and what has happened to you as a direct result of drinking alcohol. Although I agreed with the fact that I might have this condition called alcoholism-I had my own reservations about how to find the solutions to my problems. At that time I was unemployed and not properly housed-two problems which were not caused by alcohol in the first place. Drinking alcohol was the only way I could face the reality in which I found myself. I was not particularly happy with the notion that I had an illness which I was ‘powerless’ to deal with or control. I became sceptical and started seeking other solutions. My starting point was to try and identify the reasons that cause me to drink such as the two that I have mentioned above. I am working now and looking for my own flat. I still drink to this day to forget about my past misfortunes and cope with anxiety but not as heavily as before. However, I must admit that for people with symptoms of alcoholism, the best way forward is to eventually kick off the habit. TW’s story is fantastic but there are dangres of relapsing when storms come back. For example there seems to be somthing in my system which becomes triggered ‘on’ when I take my first drink, and that thing is very difficult to trigger ‘off’. I can drink and be very remoresful afterwards and promise myself never to touch the beer bottle only to start all over again. I am currently seeking counselling, medical and other treatments to stop. It worked for smoking after 20 years so I hope the same trick can happen with the booze.
Thank you all for your contributions and good luck!

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:33:00 +0000

I had cause to reflect on this whilst in rehab last year. I remember the subject coming up in Psychotherapy one day, and I put it to the group that perhaps it may not be a disease in the common term, but an ‘Illness’…which I believe to be a more acceptable definition of what is, essentially, an addiction (physical and mental) or partly a ‘Mental Illness’ (different strokes, folks!)

By: Marie

Marie — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:36:25 +0000

Thanks, Nelly I appreciate the good advice.

By: Nelly

Nelly — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:02:57 +0000

Marie–I would say resist if you can–it may not be that easy to get it out of your system once it gets ahold of you. You sound like you have it under control so I would not take the chance on it getting out of control–that happens too often.

Nelly

By: Marie

Marie — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 04:19:34 +0000

I don’t usually drink but just lately in the last few months have been experiencing cravings for alcohol and I’m not sure why. Normally I’ll have a glass or two of wine when we entertain, usually on holidays or special occasions so it works out to maybe 4, 5 times a year at most. I don’t go out to clubs, etc. There is a history of alcoholism in my family on both sides. I am aware and very conscious of this and have made a point of not going out of my way to have a drink. I do enjoy it on the few occasions that I do but I found out years ago that I have a higher tolerance than most people so I keep it to a fairly strict limit since it makes no difference to me whether I drink the glass or the bottle. I don’t enjoy being drunk and have never understood it’s attraction for most of the drinkers I know. So it’s perplexing to me why I should be experiencing these cravings at this time. I wonder to myself, should I resist them, or should I take a drink and get it out of my system? What do you think?

By: Will

Will — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:30:42 +0000

Just hooked up to the site,I cant believe it its marvellous! I dont know if I’m ready to quit yet. But I really like wot i,m reading your all just normal folk like me its great. I like the tone of the discussions I know AA works for lots of folk but I got the impression from speaking to one particular freind who bored me for ages with his chat that it was like joining one of those mad sects.He seemed to have gained sobriety but in the process he seemed to have donated part of his personality and become a kind of clone. Thats two scary things giving up the drink is one thing but I think I”l hang on to me while i,m gettin sober.

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:42:31 +0000

I read your (TW’s) post with interest, but my own experiences and those of many other’s I have spoken to lead me to believe that your conclusions are brought about by the drink defending itself in your condition. There’s loads of people like us crave this ‘happy solution’ but until we accept that we are stuffed with this illness and we need help outside ourselves, the downward spiral of self-deciept only ever leads BACK TO THE BOTTLE. Sad but true.

By: phil

phil — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 08:26:37 +0000

i was very interested in the disease theory and researched it as much as i could but there just wasnt enough concrete evidence for me, maybe i wanted to be able to blame a disease rather than myself, my reason for drinking was my own discontentment with life, always wanting something else. now ive stopped chasing things are easier, AA saved my life when i needed help and although i dont go to mettings now i have the greatest respect for all who do, as for the disease theory, it cant be proved either way, but for me being content and happy with my lot was my answer.

By: Rob

Rob — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 22:42:12 +0000

I would like to say that after many years of heavy drinking , i came to think that this was gonna be the way i was going to be the rest of my life , but one day i found a switch inside me somehow i turned that switch off . I can tell you now i have never touched booze in over 4 years now ,if you look hard you will find the switch as i did . Rob