Originally Posted by
prodigal 
Perhaps it's a mixture of the factors that have been researched that lead to addiction. I do know that I've watched several of my relatives literally drink themselves to death. I do know that my AH gets drunk every evening and stays drunk almost every weekend. The last time I saw the man have a sober weekend was Labor Day '06. He also vomits a lot. So for me, I tend to view this as a disease. Otherwise, I simply cannot fathom why someone would find drinking to such excess being worth trashing one's health and even dying as a result of it.
It is very hard to imagine. I'm sorry for what you have experienced with your relatives. I feel like we can't really know the mind of someone who drinks themselves to death--do they know they are going to die, do they think there is no way out that will work for them? Maybe like the person that decides to kill himself, they simply have no hope for finding peace in life anymore.
Originally Posted by pilgrim
I just know now that I don't have to understand why we are different from you and other normal/heavy drinkers who are not alcoholics. I don't understand you lot at all. I sometimes would like to understand why you can just have one drink and get up and walk away. For me that is freak central.
I agree that we are very different.. I like the buzz from alcohol, but I don't need it to feel good, and never anticipate it. Maybe if I tried meth it would be different. I'm too scared to find out. It may come down to the intensity of the pleasure--maybe for you it is way more intense than for me. I'm positive that is the case once one is physically dependent, but it maybe was that way from the first drink too.
Not having to understand - that's the spiritual relief we have to find that a heavy drinker or freaky normie doesn't require in order to stop.
I'm all for whatever works. That in the end is what matters. I'm glad you have found what works for you.
take care,
ted