I know many people do not like to have alcoholism categorized as a disease…because it makes it seem like they are hopeless and can never recover from it. But I heard in passing one day about possible evidence that alcoholics are genetically different from non-alcoholics and I was intrigued. I googled what this person was talking about and I found this very simple to read explaination of the science.
I know it means that I’ll never be able to recover from alcoholism but that doesn’t upset me too much. My mother was diabetic and was going to be diabetic her whole life too. She needed to control her diabetes like I’ll need to control my alcoholism. Sadly, she did NOT control her diabetes (because of her own alcoholism) and she died from it.
Anyways…I thought this might be interesting discussion.
I don’t have a problem defining addiction as a disease. My problem is with the idea that I am “powerless.”
People have all sorts of diseases that are manageable with proper lifestyle choices. The idea of unmaageabiltiy is something I am resistant to embracing.
I think the difference is that THIQ is deposited on the brain of all people when they take certain drugs (like heroine). But it only happens to someone who is predisposed to alcoholism. Normal drinkers don’t deposit the THIQ. So it might be a little different than other drug addictions.
Honestly I wondered about that one for a LONG time. Especially when they say “surrender”. That scares me because if I surrender does that not mean I’m letting the alcohol have control. But I’ve come to believe that what they mean by that is that we can NOT stop alone. We need help, whatever help that may be. For some it is surrendering to God. For others it is asking for help from a professional. Maybe it is just reading literature about the topic.
Whatever it is, we all need help.
I have concluded that I have 100% power over my DOC, if I exercise my power to keep it outside of my body. Once I take the first drink, all bets are off.
For people that experience struggles with alcoholism (which, I maybe pretty informed on the subject) I never said I was powerless or subjugated myself to surrender to it. With that being said, I also know the place mentally I went with this problem. I haven’t vowed I would never drink alcohol again, but I realized I didn’t want it in every facet of my life. So, I haven’t drank in 180+ days. I no longer perceive alcohol as fun, a crutch to my problems or a stress reliever.
In some instances, I compared it mentally to the vigirious workout regiment like running 10k@6 min/mile. pace. I could stop at any point and the pain would go away. Perhaps a bad analogy, but at the end it was a mental issue to me. An habitual routine that became the very definition of insanity when I was able to step back and see my drinking patterns. You can call it whatever you want, whatever it takes to rationalize in your mind to quit. Rather it’s a disease or routine doesn’t matter me, the outcome is still shitty no matter what you want to label it.
I see alcoholism as a disease I CAN CONTROL. And I am not okay with the term “I am powerless and put it all in God’s hands, he and only he saved me”. No. I pulled myself out of this shit, I had (and still have) to change my way of thinking, my routines, my life. Everybody has the power to stay in remission if he really wants it.
In my case it was a life style that I choose. My sole interest was drinking. Actually all I did was work and drink. Disease or habit I dunno. It’s hard to stop but I believe after the withdrawals it’s a mind game. If I drink I will spiral back into the lifestyle of a drunk, I would choose to do so so for me it’s not a disease.
So if you someone isn’t powerless why bother stopping? If I had power over my drinking I could start and stop with no problems anytime I wanted. But if drinking took you places you didn’t want to go I’d say that makes you pretty powerless.
Now that I am sober and working a program @Yoda-Stevie is absolutely right, I do have the power not to pick up that first one. But once I start drinking I have surrendered to the booze again. I’d rather surrender to higher power and a program that not only keeps me sober, but makes life wonderful. @Yoda-Stevie doesn’t do AA but you can bet your ass he works a program. I’ve seen his schedule. It’s tight.
I used to also. Until it was explained to me that I’m only powerless once I take that first sip. Alcohol is my doc. From what I remember your DOC is not alcohol. So we are not powerless until we take the first sip, hit, pill or whatever. We have power up until that point.
I haven’t read the article but I’ve read all your observations and I am just picking up on the concept of powerlessness. It’s one that I struggled with. WFS have reframed it in a way I am more comfortable with as follows:
I have a life threatening problem that once had me. I now take charge of my life and my disease. I accept responsibility.
Just thought I would share this in case others find this works for them.
And I am fully prepared to add AA to my program, if my power over alcohol is threatened. Saying “yes” to the drink that matters…the first drink means I am automatically committing to AA.
Hi this is an interesting topic…I do smart and addiction is all about what choices you make and ways to stop bad choices…so my personal view is that it’s not a disease… however the paper does make interesting reading…I suppose let’s say there was a ‘cure’ to remove this THIQ from my brain and also stop it from making more so I could drink again… would I do it… absolutely not! Alcohol whether you are addicted or not alters you in so many negative ways…I am glad I don’t want to drink…and also there is no need to either…
I’m still of the “I drink, I die” mindset bc once I get started I just absolutely don’t give a fuck and will drink and drug myself to death. I have no off switch. If I’m lucky I would get arrested. But if not…
Same here. I just know that the drink would signal an end to remission and my disease is terminal. It would likely be a slow, painful death, emotionally, spiritually, financially, and of course physically. Months, maybe years.
I’m sure I could manage one more drunk. Not sure if I have another “day 1” in me. Because I am not 100% sure, I refuse to play those odds. The stakes are too damn high.
If putting it in those terms makes sense to you and it is helping move you toward a better life in recovery and sobriety, that is great. I am not saying it is wrong for you to think of it that way and I am not trying to convince you that you should think of it differently.
I personally do not choose to view my own situation through the prism of powerlessness.
