Hi guys!! I hate to admit it’s been so long since I’ve been on here.
I’m 1 year, 3 mo & 28 days alcohol free, thank God!
Today, oddly enough I heard 2 conversations where people who I assume don’t have addiction issues said that alcoholics/drug addicts are weak minded people.
I was silently offended by this, I mean I guess it’s a weakness, but to say we’re weak people?
Addiction is a coping mechanism.
Beneath it there’s always a deeper issue(s). And quitting is a challenge because it means facing the bitter reality and fighting against it. It requires strength.
Maybe the coping mechanisms we chose once were wrong but quitting them requires more strength that many can imagine.
So no. We’re not weak.
Alcoholism is recognised by the WHO, the AMA and the BMA as a disease.
There is no cure, it can only be managed, and ther only way it can be managed is by total abstinence.
We aren’t weak people but immensely strong. Staying sober is a daily battle you only win by going to bed sober, but the war is only won if you die sober.
Every day there’s chaos that wants to push us over the edge, but we face it with courage and resolution.
Stay strong and stay sober.
&
Addiction can be described as a lot of things but adding another negative adjective to describe how addicts are viewed doesn’t help really…It’s all a part of the stigma and stereotyping done to those who pursue sobriety.
It’s not a weakness. It’s also not weak.
I have diabetes. My body does not make insulin. That’s not weakness. It’s just a fact. The sky is blue, grass is green, and my body doesn’t make insulin.
To treat my diabetes and live, I take insulin. If I neglected to do that, eventually I would die of problems caused by elevated blood sugar. Still, that would not be weakness. It would be tragic, yes; it would be heartbreaking, yes; but it would not be weakness. I didn’t make my pancreas stop producing insulin. That wasn’t a decision I made. The cause of the diabetes is not my choices. The treatment is my choice, but the cause is not my choice.
To treat my addiction and live, I work a recovery program. The recovery program is my choice, yes, but the addiction is not my choice. The addiction is a part of my “fabric” in the same way that my diabetes is part of me. It has nothing to do with weakness. Instead, it’s part of who I am. I accept it and I adapt.
Lucky i wasnt in ear shot lol , Glasgow Kiss
Nah, that’s bullshit. They don’t know the simple, but profound strength it takes to recognize the problem and surrender to it.
I was full of “I’m so smart and tough” energy once too. It nearly killed me.
Addiction is a subtle foe that defeats even, and especially, giants.
It’s easy to judge something we don’t understand. Saying addicts are weak is just a narrow minded opinion.
I think this depends. I think in active addiction like when you’re drinking or using It definitely makes you weak. It makes you physically and mentally weak. It gets in the way of proper judgment and decision-making and has lots of negative consequences. But the flipside is when you start the recovery process it’s the opposite of being weak.. being an addict in recovery makes you strong. We are some of the strongest people on this planet because we have been through so much and have so much experience with the more difficult parts of life. We are survivors. Thank you for this post I was thinking about this post the last couple days And this is what I think about it but I’m not sure if it makes sense.
Ps: Congrats on your sobriety time that is really awesome! The only way is forward
I appreciate your perspective on the strength it takes to manage it. But I don’t think of it as only a disease. I believe, like Carl Jung, that alcoholism and other types of addiction can and usually stem from deeper psychological issues. True healing often involves addressing these underlying conflicts, along with maintaining sobriety.
Jung’s views have influenced many recovery communities, emphasizing that true healing involves addressing these underlying conflicts alongside maintaining sobriety.
I admire the strength it takes to face life’s challenges. Stay strong! 