The TiB Career Series: Ask a Functional Alcoholic.

It has. The AMA recognized it as a primary disease in 1956. Unfortunately, some still cling to the moral model, ascribing it to a lack of moral character and willpower which was the backbone of the temperance movement.

Here's how the disease manifested within me on the physical level. I got to the point where once I started drinking, I couldn't stop. I would go through 3-4 day binges, drinking til I passed out, and exhaust my body to the point where I needed a day or two to recuperate, but then started the cycle all over again until I got to the point where I had to drink every day out of necessity. It's called tissue dependence.

So to answer this question

It's not possible for this alcoholic, and for the others that I know. I may be able to go a few days/weeks of only having one or two, but that control will be short-lived. It won't be long before I'm back to my old consumption habits because once I put it in my system, I want more, and the more I get, the more I want, and the vicious cycle starts all over again. And this is based on experiential evidence. I stopped drinking twice before getting sober this time (lasting 6 and 3 months, respectively), and in both instances, being of the mindset that I would be able to control my drinking, I returned to my old usage patterns within days and, as time progressed, so did the frequency and amounts of consumption. I don't want to live that way anymore, and I don't have to live that way anymore.

 

I saw Ranting Nutjob open for Blue Oyster Cult.

 

Leo McGarry (as played by the late, great John Spencer) explains alcoholism:

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgLvL-L10Gw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgLvL-L10Gw</a>

 

"A disease or medical condition is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions, associated with specific symptoms and signs."

I think the DSM-IV wins on this one.

 

I have always been told that addiction is like a tiny fire that is always burning inside you. Adding even the smallest amount of your drug of choice will cause it to burn uncontrollably.

I truly think that an actual alcoholic should never drink, never not at all. I'm sure you can find examples of people who have overcome it, but for the most part an addict's best weapon is abstinence.

 

I suggest you take a moment for introspection and examine why you feel(felt) the need to bare the weight of world for the addict(s) you know(knew).

 

No one would expect you too everyone is entitled to their opinion.

No, most of the times they can't quit. They physically can not go to work of function without the chemical they need to sustain themselves.

They CHOOSE to get HELP. They don't just wake up and say "I'm not drinking or using drugs anymore!! Isn't that great!!! WWNN won't wake up kiss his son and shout out the window "I'm sober!!" Addicts who quit many times enter a rehab facility, if they are really bad then they USUALLY HAVE to enter a detox or the withdraw could be deadly. It's a long hard road that they choose to fight.

I'm not quite sure where you are going with this, my guess is you have had a loved one that has gone down the dark path. If you think empty wine bottles are bad try syringes, they will really get peoples attention. However can't you see how blinded you are by anger and resentment? I'm not going to say AIDS or cancer is worst, I'm going to stick to my opinion that they are all awful. It is the stubborn opinion in that claims that addicts can choose not to drink or do drugs that causes so many problems when an addict chooses to get help. If it's a simple choice why is it most companies can not fire you for alcoholism? Why will they agree to help foot the outrageous bill for a rehab facility?

Society does allow for many people to blame all of their problems on things other than themselves. However that does not mean addiction is not a real and deadly illness. I think people abuse this just like they abuse everything. The commentator on ESPN that cheated on his wife claiming he's a sex addict? I don't buy it one bit. However their are millions of people out there that were hard wired to abuse chemicals and they can not control it without help.

 

We have to try and avoid insulting each other on the board. I'm not trying to say some gay "can't we all just get along" speech but if we want to have threads that touch on more personal aspects and opinions we can't do shit like this, at least not in the open take it to PM.

I disagree with Chater and the Mods only on one aspect I would like to see the occasional serious thread and post, they don't all "have to be funny." Guys like KImaster and BeefyPhil, even Toddus and clearly not the funniest guys on the board but they do add an intelligent perspective that I enjoy. If we do this then we will be stuck with Threads like "things I say after I fart" rather than enjoying stuff like this and capital punishment.

Whores, it was awfully brave of you to do this thread, I appreciate it. Surely you knew that you were going to run into DCCoo1's opinion however because it is extremely common. Any person that has had an addict in there life is usually quite jaded. I have been to NA meetings but the one I had frequented most are called Al-Anon, this is for family members and spouses of addicts. I've heard hundreds of people say "why won't they get help?" "why do they continue to steal from me?" Of course the huge one is "why do I have to try and understand this illness?

Anyway Whores I do hope you dry-out eventually for your kids sake. Times have changed being able to avoid a DUI, or worse is getting more and more difficult. I also think you did a good job in not glorifying it, every young kid on the board want's to be TFA, I'm glad you showed them that it's stupid.

 

Link? I couldn't find this thread on the main page.

 

Okay dude, check it out. I won't harp on about the scientific basis of addiction -- that's been done already. But I do want to point some things out. First, the bolded part above is, straight from the horse's mouth, an admission that you cannot discuss this topic rationally. You're too emotionally invested in the issue and it's easier for you to think in terms of black and white than it is to consider the possibility that maybe addiction is real.

Addiction isn't a black and white thing. Different substances affect different people in different ways, and a substance that one person has no problem quitting can be another's Achilles heel.

You don't understand the ambivalence that comes from substance abuse, either through lack of life experience or lack of empathy. This basically falls under the category of "if I can't see it happening to me, then I can't see it happening to anyone else". If you can assume addiction is real and not some magical hobgoblin of the mind, then you should also be able to understand the ambivalent nature of an addict. They simultaneously love the feeling they get from doing the drug, either for psychological reasons or because they're wired that way, and hate how it affects their life when they aren't using.

OF COURSE you think addiction is selfish. How could you think otherwise? I'm guessing that someone close to you abused it and it detracted significantly from your life and from the lives of those you love around you. Look at how the actions of an addict have affected your life, by your own admission.

Not everyone sees alcohol that way. For many, alcohol and other substances have produced some of the best times of their lives. And, used in moderation, substances truly can enhance life. And so when someone tells you that it's your fault you can't stop, can you understand how that might make the problem worse?

By saying addiction doesn't exist, you're basically telling a user that they're weaker, stupider, and somehow more broken than the rest of society. Not only is this not true, it's wrong to look down on someone for something outside their control. That's what religion does when it condemns masturbation, having sex, and all kinds of fun stuff.

I know what you're thinking, and I'll elaborate. Yes, how a drug affects a person is outside of their control. Whether or not someone continues to use a substance, whether or not they seek out help, whether or not they make it a priority to quit, are all absolutely under an individuals control.

But not every individual is the same, and for some, these positive actions are harder to do than for others. By not acknowledging the fact that people are biologically different and that different substances affect people in different ways, the implicit message is "everyone else can do this, why can't I? What's wrong with me?"

Well... nothing is wrong. You're just different.

Again, no one is the same. Again, it's obvious for you because of your past history. If you give me alcohol, I can stop after a beer. I'm not compelled in any way, shape, or form to abuse it. Others are. Not everyone is like you, and as I said before, different substances affect different people in different ways.

Does what I wrote excuse the behavior of alcholics? Absolutely not. But dude, pretending that everyone is on equal ground when it comes to ingesting substances is just foolish.

 

To get back to the theme of the thread -

I'm really interested in hearing about your current family situtation (who knows, who doesn't know, what they feel about it) and especially about your relationship with your son (what his awareness level is, how you feel this impacts him, etc.). I know a few people have posted questions about it. I apologize if this is too personal and respect if you would rather not comment.

Thanks.

 

You mentioned several times that your work week consists of downing bottles of wine before hittin' the hay, but what about weekends?

I'm assuming you have a regular M-F gig, and you get weekends off. So how do you spend them? Do you just go on 2.5 day benders, or try to put in some semblance of a family life?

I know I would drink ALOT more than I currently do if I had more free time. The fact that I rarely get a full 24 hours off at a time tends to keep me in check. But that occasional day when I have nothing on the calendar? You bet I'm inviting the guys over and gettin shitty.