OT – Alcoholism and Addiction

[briansd1]

[quote=eavesdropper]
Brian, everyone who tries opiates does not become addicted to them. In fact, the great majority of patients who are prescribed opiates, including morphine, for medical conditions have no problems stopping the medication when the condition resolves. There have been an exhaustive number of studies performed that bear this out.

This doesn’t mean that your dad did not enjoy smoking opium. I’m sure the reason he went back several times was because it’s enjoyable. However, like many humans, he did not become addicted to it.
[/quote]

My dad says that it’s all about will-power and strength of character. He says that we kids are weak because we were cuddled too much and have too many emotions messing with our heads. Given that he’s 80 and in excellent health, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.

Back during Vietnam, my dad spent several years in Laos. He and his buddies used to smoke opium regularly (not just several times). Of course, they’d drink like fish too. And constant cigarette smoking was perfectly normal.

During that time, Americans, some prominent people as Paul Getty, traveled to Laos to enjoy the pure opium from the Golden Triangle. It it said that Getty moved to England because, thanks of his money, the Brits turned a blind eye and let him import all the opium he needed.

According to my dad, the majority of opium smokers did fine and were able to quit. Some others became hopelessly addicted and substituted some additions for others, as they became available.

Despite my dad’s “addictions” he was always a fully functional, professional person. He was always well-dressed and clean-shaven and never descended to living in a mess.

[quote=eavesdropper]
You know when willpower kicks in? When someone knows, without a doubt, that what they’re drinking/eating/ shooting up is going to kill them.
[/quote]

My dad quit smoking and drinking pretty cold turkey without any professional help because, over the years, he watched his friends get diseased and die.

His health checks out perfectly. He still drinks a cup of coffee in the morning and his only vice now is good steaks.

My dad says that drugs and prostitution should be made legal. People do it anyway, so why fight it?

[eavesdropper]

[quote=briansd1] My dad says that it’s all about will-power and strength of character. He says that we kids are weak because we were cuddled too much and have too many emotions messing with our heads. Given that he’s 80 and in excellent health, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. [/quote]

I’d like to agree with him, Brian, but it doesn’t explain why there are addicts from all different backgrounds, including quite a few that did not include “coddling”.

However, I will agree that willpower ultimately plays a part. No matter what kind of rehab you go through or therapy you undergo, ultimately you’re going to have to get through each day of the rest of your life, no matter how stressful or painful, without taking a hit of cocaine or slug of scotch. And that isn’t going to happen until an addict fully accepts that his poison of choice is going to kill him and realizes that he wants to live more than he wants to die.

But denial is a powerful thing, and between that and the unintentional enabling of an addiction by “kind” friends and relatives, the addict can avoid that decision for years. I am shocked by what appears to be people’s ability and propensity to deny. There are alcoholics to whom I could show real-time laparoscopic pictures of their severely cirrhotic livers, and they would still deny that it was theirs.

[quote=briansd1] [quote=eavesdropper]
You know when willpower kicks in? When someone knows, without a doubt, that what they’re drinking/eating/ shooting up is going to kill them.
[/quote]

My dad quit smoking and drinking pretty cold turkey without any professional help because, over the years, he watched his friends get diseased and die. [/quote]

Exactly my point. Your dad just got the message a lot sooner than most.

[quote=briansd1] My dad says that drugs and prostitution should be made legal. People do it anyway, so why fight it?[/quote]

Hear, hear!! I heartily concur.

[eavesdropper]

[quote=briansd1] My dad says that it’s all about will-power and strength of character. He says that we kids are weak because we were cuddled too much and have too many emotions messing with our heads. Given that he’s 80 and in excellent health, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. [/quote]

I’d like to agree with him, Brian, but it doesn’t explain why there are addicts from all different backgrounds, including quite a few that did not include “coddling”.

However, I will agree that willpower ultimately plays a part. No matter what kind of rehab you go through or therapy you undergo, ultimately you’re going to have to get through each day of the rest of your life, no matter how stressful or painful, without taking a hit of cocaine or slug of scotch. And that isn’t going to happen until an addict fully accepts that his poison of choice is going to kill him and realizes that he wants to live more than he wants to die.

But denial is a powerful thing, and between that and the unintentional enabling of an addiction by “kind” friends and relatives, the addict can avoid that decision for years. I am shocked by what appears to be people’s ability and propensity to deny. There are alcoholics to whom I could show real-time laparoscopic pictures of their severely cirrhotic livers, and they would still deny that it was theirs.

[quote=briansd1] [quote=eavesdropper]
You know when willpower kicks in? When someone knows, without a doubt, that what they’re drinking/eating/ shooting up is going to kill them.
[/quote]

My dad quit smoking and drinking pretty cold turkey without any professional help because, over the years, he watched his friends get diseased and die. [/quote]

Exactly my point. Your dad just got the message a lot sooner than most.

[quote=briansd1] My dad says that drugs and prostitution should be made legal. People do it anyway, so why fight it?[/quote]

Hear, hear!! I heartily concur.

[eavesdropper]

[quote=briansd1] My dad says that it’s all about will-power and strength of character. He says that we kids are weak because we were cuddled too much and have too many emotions messing with our heads. Given that he’s 80 and in excellent health, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. [/quote]

I’d like to agree with him, Brian, but it doesn’t explain why there are addicts from all different backgrounds, including quite a few that did not include “coddling”.

However, I will agree that willpower ultimately plays a part. No matter what kind of rehab you go through or therapy you undergo, ultimately you’re going to have to get through each day of the rest of your life, no matter how stressful or painful, without taking a hit of cocaine or slug of scotch. And that isn’t going to happen until an addict fully accepts that his poison of choice is going to kill him and realizes that he wants to live more than he wants to die.

But denial is a powerful thing, and between that and the unintentional enabling of an addiction by “kind” friends and relatives, the addict can avoid that decision for years. I am shocked by what appears to be people’s ability and propensity to deny. There are alcoholics to whom I could show real-time laparoscopic pictures of their severely cirrhotic livers, and they would still deny that it was theirs.

[quote=briansd1] [quote=eavesdropper]
You know when willpower kicks in? When someone knows, without a doubt, that what they’re drinking/eating/ shooting up is going to kill them.
[/quote]

My dad quit smoking and drinking pretty cold turkey without any professional help because, over the years, he watched his friends get diseased and die. [/quote]

Exactly my point. Your dad just got the message a lot sooner than most.

[quote=briansd1] My dad says that drugs and prostitution should be made legal. People do it anyway, so why fight it?[/quote]

Hear, hear!! I heartily concur.

[eavesdropper]

[quote=briansd1] My dad says that it’s all about will-power and strength of character. He says that we kids are weak because we were cuddled too much and have too many emotions messing with our heads. Given that he’s 80 and in excellent health, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. [/quote]

I’d like to agree with him, Brian, but it doesn’t explain why there are addicts from all different backgrounds, including quite a few that did not include “coddling”.

However, I will agree that willpower ultimately plays a part. No matter what kind of rehab you go through or therapy you undergo, ultimately you’re going to have to get through each day of the rest of your life, no matter how stressful or painful, without taking a hit of cocaine or slug of scotch. And that isn’t going to happen until an addict fully accepts that his poison of choice is going to kill him and realizes that he wants to live more than he wants to die.

But denial is a powerful thing, and between that and the unintentional enabling of an addiction by “kind” friends and relatives, the addict can avoid that decision for years. I am shocked by what appears to be people’s ability and propensity to deny. There are alcoholics to whom I could show real-time laparoscopic pictures of their severely cirrhotic livers, and they would still deny that it was theirs.

[quote=briansd1] [quote=eavesdropper]
You know when willpower kicks in? When someone knows, without a doubt, that what they’re drinking/eating/ shooting up is going to kill them.
[/quote]

My dad quit smoking and drinking pretty cold turkey without any professional help because, over the years, he watched his friends get diseased and die. [/quote]

Exactly my point. Your dad just got the message a lot sooner than most.

[quote=briansd1] My dad says that drugs and prostitution should be made legal. People do it anyway, so why fight it?[/quote]

Hear, hear!! I heartily concur.

[eavesdropper]

[quote=briansd1] My dad says that it’s all about will-power and strength of character. He says that we kids are weak because we were cuddled too much and have too many emotions messing with our heads. Given that he’s 80 and in excellent health, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. [/quote]

I’d like to agree with him, Brian, but it doesn’t explain why there are addicts from all different backgrounds, including quite a few that did not include “coddling”.

However, I will agree that willpower ultimately plays a part. No matter what kind of rehab you go through or therapy you undergo, ultimately you’re going to have to get through each day of the rest of your life, no matter how stressful or painful, without taking a hit of cocaine or slug of scotch. And that isn’t going to happen until an addict fully accepts that his poison of choice is going to kill him and realizes that he wants to live more than he wants to die.

But denial is a powerful thing, and between that and the unintentional enabling of an addiction by “kind” friends and relatives, the addict can avoid that decision for years. I am shocked by what appears to be people’s ability and propensity to deny. There are alcoholics to whom I could show real-time laparoscopic pictures of their severely cirrhotic livers, and they would still deny that it was theirs.

[quote=briansd1] [quote=eavesdropper]
You know when willpower kicks in? When someone knows, without a doubt, that what they’re drinking/eating/ shooting up is going to kill them.
[/quote]

My dad quit smoking and drinking pretty cold turkey without any professional help because, over the years, he watched his friends get diseased and die. [/quote]

Exactly my point. Your dad just got the message a lot sooner than most.

[quote=briansd1] My dad says that drugs and prostitution should be made legal. People do it anyway, so why fight it?[/quote]

Hear, hear!! I heartily concur.

[njtosd]

Has anyone on this board ever heard of the Marshmallow test? Here’s an article from the New Yorker that describes it in more detail: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer?currentPage=2

The gist of it is that 4 year olds were subjected to an experiment where they were offered a treat (cookie, marshmallow, etc.). The researcher told the child that he/she was going to leave the room, but if the treat was still there when the researcher returned, the child could have two of the treat. This was a basic test for delaying gratification. For various reasons, the researchers followed up with the test subjects much later in life and found that the kids’ ability to delay gratification hadn’t changed much over the years. Furthermore, the ones who had been able to resist the treat until the researcher returned were much more successful in life overall (higher achievement, higher SAT scores, etc.) This suggests that will power is established early on, important to a variety of life’s challenges, and, in my opinion, may well be inborn.

[njtosd]

Has anyone on this board ever heard of the Marshmallow test? Here’s an article from the New Yorker that describes it in more detail: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer?currentPage=2

The gist of it is that 4 year olds were subjected to an experiment where they were offered a treat (cookie, marshmallow, etc.). The researcher told the child that he/she was going to leave the room, but if the treat was still there when the researcher returned, the child could have two of the treat. This was a basic test for delaying gratification. For various reasons, the researchers followed up with the test subjects much later in life and found that the kids’ ability to delay gratification hadn’t changed much over the years. Furthermore, the ones who had been able to resist the treat until the researcher returned were much more successful in life overall (higher achievement, higher SAT scores, etc.) This suggests that will power is established early on, important to a variety of life’s challenges, and, in my opinion, may well be inborn.

[njtosd]

Has anyone on this board ever heard of the Marshmallow test? Here’s an article from the New Yorker that describes it in more detail: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer?currentPage=2

The gist of it is that 4 year olds were subjected to an experiment where they were offered a treat (cookie, marshmallow, etc.). The researcher told the child that he/she was going to leave the room, but if the treat was still there when the researcher returned, the child could have two of the treat. This was a basic test for delaying gratification. For various reasons, the researchers followed up with the test subjects much later in life and found that the kids’ ability to delay gratification hadn’t changed much over the years. Furthermore, the ones who had been able to resist the treat until the researcher returned were much more successful in life overall (higher achievement, higher SAT scores, etc.) This suggests that will power is established early on, important to a variety of life’s challenges, and, in my opinion, may well be inborn.

[njtosd]

Has anyone on this board ever heard of the Marshmallow test? Here’s an article from the New Yorker that describes it in more detail: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer?currentPage=2

The gist of it is that 4 year olds were subjected to an experiment where they were offered a treat (cookie, marshmallow, etc.). The researcher told the child that he/she was going to leave the room, but if the treat was still there when the researcher returned, the child could have two of the treat. This was a basic test for delaying gratification. For various reasons, the researchers followed up with the test subjects much later in life and found that the kids’ ability to delay gratification hadn’t changed much over the years. Furthermore, the ones who had been able to resist the treat until the researcher returned were much more successful in life overall (higher achievement, higher SAT scores, etc.) This suggests that will power is established early on, important to a variety of life’s challenges, and, in my opinion, may well be inborn.

[njtosd]

Has anyone on this board ever heard of the Marshmallow test? Here’s an article from the New Yorker that describes it in more detail: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer?currentPage=2

The gist of it is that 4 year olds were subjected to an experiment where they were offered a treat (cookie, marshmallow, etc.). The researcher told the child that he/she was going to leave the room, but if the treat was still there when the researcher returned, the child could have two of the treat. This was a basic test for delaying gratification. For various reasons, the researchers followed up with the test subjects much later in life and found that the kids’ ability to delay gratification hadn’t changed much over the years. Furthermore, the ones who had been able to resist the treat until the researcher returned were much more successful in life overall (higher achievement, higher SAT scores, etc.) This suggests that will power is established early on, important to a variety of life’s challenges, and, in my opinion, may well be inborn.

[ocrenter]

[quote=njtosd]Has anyone on this board ever heard of the Marshmallow test? Here’s an article from the New Yorker that describes it in more detail: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer?currentPage=2

The gist of it is that 4 year olds were subjected to an experiment where they were offered a treat (cookie, marshmallow, etc.). The researcher told the child that he/she was going to leave the room, but if the treat was still there when the researcher returned, the child could have two of the treat. This was a basic test for delaying gratification. For various reasons, the researchers followed up with the test subjects much later in life and found that the kids’ ability to delay gratification hadn’t changed much over the years. Furthermore, the ones who had been able to resist the treat until the researcher returned were much more successful in life overall (higher achievement, higher SAT scores, etc.) This suggests that will power is established early on, important to a variety of life’s challenges, and, in my opinion, may well be inborn.[/quote]

did the kids that fail the test become obese alcoholics? =)

[ocrenter]

[quote=njtosd]Has anyone on this board ever heard of the Marshmallow test? Here’s an article from the New Yorker that describes it in more detail: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer?currentPage=2

The gist of it is that 4 year olds were subjected to an experiment where they were offered a treat (cookie, marshmallow, etc.). The researcher told the child that he/she was going to leave the room, but if the treat was still there when the researcher returned, the child could have two of the treat. This was a basic test for delaying gratification. For various reasons, the researchers followed up with the test subjects much later in life and found that the kids’ ability to delay gratification hadn’t changed much over the years. Furthermore, the ones who had been able to resist the treat until the researcher returned were much more successful in life overall (higher achievement, higher SAT scores, etc.) This suggests that will power is established early on, important to a variety of life’s challenges, and, in my opinion, may well be inborn.[/quote]

did the kids that fail the test become obese alcoholics? =)

[ocrenter]

[quote=njtosd]Has anyone on this board ever heard of the Marshmallow test? Here’s an article from the New Yorker that describes it in more detail: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer?currentPage=2

The gist of it is that 4 year olds were subjected to an experiment where they were offered a treat (cookie, marshmallow, etc.). The researcher told the child that he/she was going to leave the room, but if the treat was still there when the researcher returned, the child could have two of the treat. This was a basic test for delaying gratification. For various reasons, the researchers followed up with the test subjects much later in life and found that the kids’ ability to delay gratification hadn’t changed much over the years. Furthermore, the ones who had been able to resist the treat until the researcher returned were much more successful in life overall (higher achievement, higher SAT scores, etc.) This suggests that will power is established early on, important to a variety of life’s challenges, and, in my opinion, may well be inborn.[/quote]

did the kids that fail the test become obese alcoholics? =)

[ocrenter]

[quote=njtosd]Has anyone on this board ever heard of the Marshmallow test? Here’s an article from the New Yorker that describes it in more detail: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer?currentPage=2

The gist of it is that 4 year olds were subjected to an experiment where they were offered a treat (cookie, marshmallow, etc.). The researcher told the child that he/she was going to leave the room, but if the treat was still there when the researcher returned, the child could have two of the treat. This was a basic test for delaying gratification. For various reasons, the researchers followed up with the test subjects much later in life and found that the kids’ ability to delay gratification hadn’t changed much over the years. Furthermore, the ones who had been able to resist the treat until the researcher returned were much more successful in life overall (higher achievement, higher SAT scores, etc.) This suggests that will power is established early on, important to a variety of life’s challenges, and, in my opinion, may well be inborn.[/quote]

did the kids that fail the test become obese alcoholics? =)

[Author]

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