OT – Alcoholism and Addiction

[briansd1]

Interesting feedback from everyone.

Thankfully this friend is gainfully employed and he makes a good living. So he doesn’t need financial help (I don’t think that I would give money to anyone but my own brothers or parents).

Like I said before, my friend needs security clearance for his job and he knows it. When he goes to work, he will sober up for a few days. But when he’s off (which could be a period of a week or more), he’ll start drinking again, until he has to show up for work. But if he can’t sober up, he’ll call in sick.

Yes, I realize that alcoholism is a sickness. But what’s the line between sickness and self-control? Alcoholism is not like cancer. There is a will-power element.

This person never goes an extended amount of time without a drink.

I’ve been with my friend before where it seems like he vegges frequently. He complains about headaches if he has to keep on moving all day, like hiking or even walking in town. That guy can’t even walk 1 mile without getting upset. Would rather take taxi.

This guy is very smart. I didn’t put things together until I saw his house. It’s not dirty but extremely messy. There was a pile of empty beer bottles. Some empty hard liquor bottles too.

It seems like if you cannot stop drinking for at least 72 hours, you could be considered an alcoholic. That’s when there’s a problem.

Symptoms most commonly occur within 72 hours after the last drink, but may occur up to 7 – 10 days after the last drink. Symptoms may get worse rapidly, and can include:

Body tremors
Mental status changes

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001771/

Anyway, I doubt this guy will go to AA or even a psychologist because that would jeopardize his job.

[jpinpb]

brian – sounds like your friend has mastered being a functional alcoholic and those are the ones least likely to hit bottom, hence least likely to ever seek help. If he is a true alcoholic, there’s more to it than sheer will power. That would be fine for someone like you and I. But true alcoholics have other physical problems that make them more dependant than the average person. It is like a cancer. It is a disease.

As I said, I didn’t delve too much into it, but I vaguely remember reading something about genetics and alcoholism and which races had more of a predisposition b/c of certain issues w/their liver. I forget the details. I want to say enzyme, but now I’m not sure. It was either they missed something or had more of it. But in any case, they were more likely to not process alcohol like a normal person would and made them more susceptible to binge drink.

[jpinpb]

brian – sounds like your friend has mastered being a functional alcoholic and those are the ones least likely to hit bottom, hence least likely to ever seek help. If he is a true alcoholic, there’s more to it than sheer will power. That would be fine for someone like you and I. But true alcoholics have other physical problems that make them more dependant than the average person. It is like a cancer. It is a disease.

As I said, I didn’t delve too much into it, but I vaguely remember reading something about genetics and alcoholism and which races had more of a predisposition b/c of certain issues w/their liver. I forget the details. I want to say enzyme, but now I’m not sure. It was either they missed something or had more of it. But in any case, they were more likely to not process alcohol like a normal person would and made them more susceptible to binge drink.

[jpinpb]

brian – sounds like your friend has mastered being a functional alcoholic and those are the ones least likely to hit bottom, hence least likely to ever seek help. If he is a true alcoholic, there’s more to it than sheer will power. That would be fine for someone like you and I. But true alcoholics have other physical problems that make them more dependant than the average person. It is like a cancer. It is a disease.

As I said, I didn’t delve too much into it, but I vaguely remember reading something about genetics and alcoholism and which races had more of a predisposition b/c of certain issues w/their liver. I forget the details. I want to say enzyme, but now I’m not sure. It was either they missed something or had more of it. But in any case, they were more likely to not process alcohol like a normal person would and made them more susceptible to binge drink.

[jpinpb]

brian – sounds like your friend has mastered being a functional alcoholic and those are the ones least likely to hit bottom, hence least likely to ever seek help. If he is a true alcoholic, there’s more to it than sheer will power. That would be fine for someone like you and I. But true alcoholics have other physical problems that make them more dependant than the average person. It is like a cancer. It is a disease.

As I said, I didn’t delve too much into it, but I vaguely remember reading something about genetics and alcoholism and which races had more of a predisposition b/c of certain issues w/their liver. I forget the details. I want to say enzyme, but now I’m not sure. It was either they missed something or had more of it. But in any case, they were more likely to not process alcohol like a normal person would and made them more susceptible to binge drink.

[jpinpb]

brian – sounds like your friend has mastered being a functional alcoholic and those are the ones least likely to hit bottom, hence least likely to ever seek help. If he is a true alcoholic, there’s more to it than sheer will power. That would be fine for someone like you and I. But true alcoholics have other physical problems that make them more dependant than the average person. It is like a cancer. It is a disease.

As I said, I didn’t delve too much into it, but I vaguely remember reading something about genetics and alcoholism and which races had more of a predisposition b/c of certain issues w/their liver. I forget the details. I want to say enzyme, but now I’m not sure. It was either they missed something or had more of it. But in any case, they were more likely to not process alcohol like a normal person would and made them more susceptible to binge drink.

[NotCranky]

My dad died of cirrhosis at 46. I Have looked at this thing inside out. I don’t believe in the disease theory. I think if the drinker does not mature out of serious consumption problems by the time they are 30, internal wiring get’s so established for excess drinking that most only have the alternative of getting addicted to “abstinence” one way or another to permanently cope.Nothing wrong with it, but I don’t envy people who have to be addicted to abstinence or the proportions they often take this substitute addiction to. If the problem drinker can get out of any vicious cycles with alcohol as a young adult then chances to be a moderate drinker are easier. Of course the abstinence addicts claim that it means they are different than people who can correct to moderation,or that the other shoe will drop eventually, rather than acknowledging that that they avoided dealing with it for too long.

[NotCranky]

My dad died of cirrhosis at 46. I Have looked at this thing inside out. I don’t believe in the disease theory. I think if the drinker does not mature out of serious consumption problems by the time they are 30, internal wiring get’s so established for excess drinking that most only have the alternative of getting addicted to “abstinence” one way or another to permanently cope.Nothing wrong with it, but I don’t envy people who have to be addicted to abstinence or the proportions they often take this substitute addiction to. If the problem drinker can get out of any vicious cycles with alcohol as a young adult then chances to be a moderate drinker are easier. Of course the abstinence addicts claim that it means they are different than people who can correct to moderation,or that the other shoe will drop eventually, rather than acknowledging that that they avoided dealing with it for too long.

[NotCranky]

My dad died of cirrhosis at 46. I Have looked at this thing inside out. I don’t believe in the disease theory. I think if the drinker does not mature out of serious consumption problems by the time they are 30, internal wiring get’s so established for excess drinking that most only have the alternative of getting addicted to “abstinence” one way or another to permanently cope.Nothing wrong with it, but I don’t envy people who have to be addicted to abstinence or the proportions they often take this substitute addiction to. If the problem drinker can get out of any vicious cycles with alcohol as a young adult then chances to be a moderate drinker are easier. Of course the abstinence addicts claim that it means they are different than people who can correct to moderation,or that the other shoe will drop eventually, rather than acknowledging that that they avoided dealing with it for too long.

[NotCranky]

My dad died of cirrhosis at 46. I Have looked at this thing inside out. I don’t believe in the disease theory. I think if the drinker does not mature out of serious consumption problems by the time they are 30, internal wiring get’s so established for excess drinking that most only have the alternative of getting addicted to “abstinence” one way or another to permanently cope.Nothing wrong with it, but I don’t envy people who have to be addicted to abstinence or the proportions they often take this substitute addiction to. If the problem drinker can get out of any vicious cycles with alcohol as a young adult then chances to be a moderate drinker are easier. Of course the abstinence addicts claim that it means they are different than people who can correct to moderation,or that the other shoe will drop eventually, rather than acknowledging that that they avoided dealing with it for too long.

[NotCranky]

My dad died of cirrhosis at 46. I Have looked at this thing inside out. I don’t believe in the disease theory. I think if the drinker does not mature out of serious consumption problems by the time they are 30, internal wiring get’s so established for excess drinking that most only have the alternative of getting addicted to “abstinence” one way or another to permanently cope.Nothing wrong with it, but I don’t envy people who have to be addicted to abstinence or the proportions they often take this substitute addiction to. If the problem drinker can get out of any vicious cycles with alcohol as a young adult then chances to be a moderate drinker are easier. Of course the abstinence addicts claim that it means they are different than people who can correct to moderation,or that the other shoe will drop eventually, rather than acknowledging that that they avoided dealing with it for too long.

[briansd1]

My dad is 80 and he was a heavy social drinker and smoker (a product of his generation). But he quit smoking about 30 years ago, and cut back to only very light infrequent drinking.

My dad’s peers all died from diseases related to drinking, smoking and eating.

I’ve watched my old relatives and their friends so I know that life can be extended a long time by making simple lifestyle changes.

The problem is that people are set in their own way and won’t change out of stubbornness.

[briansd1]

My dad is 80 and he was a heavy social drinker and smoker (a product of his generation). But he quit smoking about 30 years ago, and cut back to only very light infrequent drinking.

My dad’s peers all died from diseases related to drinking, smoking and eating.

I’ve watched my old relatives and their friends so I know that life can be extended a long time by making simple lifestyle changes.

The problem is that people are set in their own way and won’t change out of stubbornness.

[briansd1]

My dad is 80 and he was a heavy social drinker and smoker (a product of his generation). But he quit smoking about 30 years ago, and cut back to only very light infrequent drinking.

My dad’s peers all died from diseases related to drinking, smoking and eating.

I’ve watched my old relatives and their friends so I know that life can be extended a long time by making simple lifestyle changes.

The problem is that people are set in their own way and won’t change out of stubbornness.

[briansd1]

My dad is 80 and he was a heavy social drinker and smoker (a product of his generation). But he quit smoking about 30 years ago, and cut back to only very light infrequent drinking.

My dad’s peers all died from diseases related to drinking, smoking and eating.

I’ve watched my old relatives and their friends so I know that life can be extended a long time by making simple lifestyle changes.

The problem is that people are set in their own way and won’t change out of stubbornness.

[Author]

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