Do you think your alcoholism was inevitable?

[RK2007]

Originally Posted by supernothing

... but for me its still a huge challenge!

Hey supernothing, keep it up - 30 days is a real achievement - if you can do it for that long, you can do anything you put your mind to. Well done!

[barb dwyer]

I'm thinking you mean genetically predisposed and all that jazz???

oh hell yeah.

My family tree's twisted roots go through two countries
ancestors getting kicked out for making liquor.
They got here - and danged if they didn't start it all up again.
The other side of the family -
helped 'em tied up the boat
maybe shoot a little supper
and said,
- 'hey, whatcha drinkin, blondie?".

If there *is* anything to that predisposition - oh, man.
I was screwed before I ever got here.

Avoided it for 43 years.

But when the time came -
I took to drinking like a duck to water.

Well.
Maybe a LEAD duck ...
but a duck just the same.

Everything in this life
is exactly as it should have been
for us to be here.

I try to keep that in mind ...
it helps.

[22NGONE]

Yes, absolutely. From grandparents to uncles one fine mess our family get togethers are and always have been. Looking forward to the annual 4th of July picnic/slugfest, I think I'll be making an abbreviated appearance this year. I'll be like Tupac, "All eyes on me."

John

[Pinkcuda]

I'm an Alcoholic. I don't ask why. I just am. My ancestors on both sides died from the disease for generations back. That doesn't mean anything to me.
Asking why is a step off the path and will inevitably lead to asking more questions. I don't question my disease. I don't even question whether it's a disease or not. I just used the word. To me it doesn't matter. I can't drink and that's all I need to know.

[CarolD]

Why am I am alcoholic?
Because my drinking affected my brain and liver enzymes
and they began to process alcohol incorrectly.

Why am I a diabetic?
Because my liver and pancreas no longer
process sugar correctly.

I keep healthy by abstinance....toxins will kill me.

[Girl]

I believe so. There is a history of alcohlism in my family--my parents rarely drank at all but my grandparents on my father's side both died of alcohol related illnesses. Deep down I knew I was an alcoholic long before my drinking got really bad, and before I tried to do anything about it. When I was 16 two women from AA came to speak at my high school. At that stage I had only just started drinking and got drunk only a few times, but something they said clicked with me and I identified. I don't remember exactly what it was, but something in my head told me I was an alcoholic. Of course, it didn't stop me from drinking right then and there--I thought I was too young and to be honest didn't want to stop drinking. But it's funny how I knew even back then.

[steamvessel]

Day 20, still gong strong.

[dave47]

For me there is no history of alcoholism in my family and it wasn't inevitable.
When I was sixteen I used to have a couple of cans with friends on the street corners but I was fighting fit, studied martial arts, weight trained and ran. By the time I was 17 I was a heavy binge drinker and the fitness was going out of the window. There were two roads and I chose the wrong one.

[Stormy1119]

Originally Posted by steamvessel

I thought I pose a question to the board that's been on my mind. Realistically, looking back into your history and who you are as a person, do you see your descent into alcholism as an inevitable one? I know this doesn't seem the most positive way to look at things, but it can be if you see it a certain way. Part of me feels like my journey to sobriety was inevitable, and I'm exactly where I need to be right now. The strength, wisdom, and courage that I have found in dealing with my alcoholism is what I needed to find in my life. I really think that with the alcoholism that runs in my family, my personality, and my past experience it was inevitable that I was going to have a relationship with alcohol that was BEYOND normal, not to say it needed to become full-blown alcoholism, which I think I've gotten close to. But the problem was waiting to happen. I think this is all part of my emotional journey. I remember the first time I took a drink, it was like a god send, I'd never felt this good before. Now I think about not taking a drink, and well it feels like nothing I've ever felt before. Even before I started drinking.

yes, my journey into alcoholism was inevitable. I have alcoholism in my family, though none I was raised around. In addition I have had difficult family issues I wish not to get into... on top of that I was sexually assaulted... s yet, it was only a matter of time before alcoholism bit me in the butt.