I see it as an 'illness', albeit one that I chose to make worse by drinking when I knew the consequences. And even tho I stopped drinking, it's still an illness that will destroy me IF I DRINK AGAIN. So it's an illness, to me, but one that I have control over by not drinking. It's an illness that I have arrested but that lies dormant inside me and can be awakened by drinking. So it's not, to me, a disease like heart disease or diabetes that strikes randomly or thru family history, but an illness that I can keep in check by my behavior and choices. Does that make any sense?
Altho, thinking about it some more, it's like diabetes which can't be eliminated but can be
controlled by diet, exercise, medication -
making choices to keep it under control... I guess it doesn't matter so much, to me, what it's called, as long as I keep it under control by healthy choices/behavior... now I'm confused...
