My uncle is dying a slow death from sclerosis of the liver now 
Genes chromosomes mutations im glad i stuck around in health class enough to be interested in the dynamic human body, it truely is an amazing piece of work. An i still think a smart phone is smarter but the human brain is so much more fascinating
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Lmao 
right ā¦ and it is truly a outstanding thing
I do not come from a family of drinkers. My parents rarely drank when I was a kid and both sets of grandparents were teetotalers. Out of the 4 of us siblings My oldest sibling never drank, next one drinks normal and youngest had a weed problem for a long long time. I started drinking in middle school and kept going for 40+ years, various drugs as well. Early on it was just the party thingā¦the 70sā¦later it was a habit gone way way bad.
I donāt believe it is a disease. I donāt believe I was born an alcoholic, nor do I identify as one. I liked to get wasted. I liked turning off my brain. I liked abusing substances and I lived a long time thinking life was an endless party ā¦long long after the fun was over. I couldnāt resist chasing the high for long. Then the long term effects of drinking and drugging for decades showed their ugly face and I finally got sober. Not that it was easy or pleasant or sobriety came easyā¦it was a hellish slog that took 10 years and near suicide daily.
It is an interesting question for sure and every person is a unique human with a unique body chemistry and unique life experiences. I think some of us are predisposed genetically to substance abuse and if we pick up that substance we set the ball rolling. I also believe we all heal differentlyā¦tho there is a lot in common as well.
Great topic!!
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Sorry for the pain he must be facing. Lost another cousin a few weeks ago from cirrhosis and kidney failure he was in hospice care for only 3days not even 45. Its amazing to be alive seeing how torn up some people get, im thankful i stepped back from the ledge while i still have time to do damage control
Im sure Im born to be more likely to be an alcholic then others. My grandfather on mom side was alcholic and my father was one. I was raised in a home with lots of alcohol and even made alcohol in my home. Also a lot of mental disorders runs in the family. I think mental health and alcoholproblems can walk hand in hand.
I never had problems with drinking before I think around 24 yo. Before this I could drink once a while, a glass or two, have a party and even throw out left overs of wine bottles.
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What couldve killed me and didnt is nothing short of a miracle in itself. Not just what i did to myself with the drugs but everything that life threw at me.lol 
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Thank you @SassyRocks you truly have been my wings and a inspiration since the day I found TS and I appreciate you and your opinions. 
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It is horrible although it was not enough to get me to stop and I continued to drink even after I found out I honest to God wanted to stop but couldnāt and then one night I prayed with every ounce of my being and I fell asleep prayingā¦ I woke up the next day with absolutely no desire to drink and Iāve been sober ever since that day itās odd but Iāll be damned if I question it Iām just grateful
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I was the same way my mother, father and grandparents on my fathers side all were alcoholics but I made the choice to start drinking ya know? I just didnāt want to feel anything so I numbed it very well for a very long time and now I have to learn all over again how to feel things and deal with them
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I canāt deny the scientific facts that environmental impact just as genetics matters no matter your addiction or coping mechanism issues.
However Iām convinced that I made myself and addict. I didnāt have to choose the way I choosed earlier, there was probably other options. My grandparents on Maās side never drank they where highly religious, my Ma and my uncle who actually isnāt related for real since they both where adopted. Have alcohol problems. My grandparents on my fatherās side where all moderate drinkers just as my father.
Weāre four siblings, my brother never had a problem with alcohol. All of us sisterās did,Iām the only one who used drugs. Even if my entire family have a No Drugs policy thatās very strong.
My husband grew up with an alcoholic father, but heās a moderate drinker too. Well nowdays heās sober because of liver failure and heart problems.
Our 18 y/o have yet never tried to drink. So I think itās an advanced and special combination that make us have addictive traits or not. But despite that itās still all your own choice. If it wasnāt and you had all odds against you, you wouldnāt be able to get sober at all during your lifetime. And I just canāt believe that. Iām here, Iām alive and Iām sober. 
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Agreed the more I think about it I feel like regardless of what Iāve read if I had never started drinking I wouldnāt have become a alcoholic 
I mean I had to put it in my body to become addicted to it But Iām here now Iām sober and learning new things, meeting amazing people, and slowly Iāll heal
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Yes of course, its we Who choose to drink and No one else. I do (did) the same, I did not want to feel nothing! Now all I do is feeling scared. I wonder how I could do this to myself knowing what alcohol does. I watched my father die at age 50 from alcoholisme. All the pain he had, how awfull he looked, all the screaming, crying, blood and bloated. At this time I had no drinkingproblem, I should be scared the shit out off, but few years later and here I am.
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Developing positive thought process is what i get from the whole thread because my thinking can get irrational and erratic from min. to min. but my response to triggers or certain subjects is what i learn to deal with. In my mind im still a little nuts and sic but Jesus helped the blind man see he can also help me feel and do whats right, now, for me. Hard to do when i get in a frenzie and drive myself mad with anxiety some times loud noises trigger ptsd but im managing better today. Dealing with life on its terms not mineš
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Iām really sorry. Thatās horrible. Iām glad that you were able to find your way to sobriety after that kind of pain though. Your such an inspiration.
You truly are amazing @jonathanlee213 Iām so glad youāre here. And I have extreme anxiety and ptsd as well so I can relate to those feelings all too well Iām always here if you wanna talk
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For me, the whole ānature vs. nurtureā question is a pointless exercise, regarding my becoming addicted to booze. The fact is, I drank too much and too often to the point where it began to negatively impact my life. I have no need to find something or someone to blame for that.I quit and life got better, because I got better. As long as I stay sober, I can face life as it comes, rather than hiding from it, or making difficult times worse.
But I am me and you are you. Your mileage may vary.
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From the moment I took my first sip I drank alcoholically. Same with drugs. I never had an off switch. If I went out and bought a beer right now Iād be smoking crack within an hour.
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You just have to get better at getting better right
I am daily working on getting better at getting better at things I never knew I could.
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You got that right!
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