Originally Posted by
buttercream 
I've read tons of books on alcoholism, and there is still one concept that I cannot wrap my head around: if the alcoholic KNOWS alcohol will destroy his life, sees the damage it is doing, and professes that he wants to stop drinking...why won't he seek a program or treatment to try and address the problem when there are so many options available???
Is it because he doesn't want to be addicted, but really still wants to drink because of the addiction??
I just don't get it. He tells me: "be glad you don't understand".
I just don't get it either and I have been observing my aw for over twenty years. The best theory I can come up with is this. Their sense of normalcy has been skewed by alcohol. Their sober is different from ours. They live in a house of mirrors. Drunk is normal, normal is drunk. Sobriety is riddled with uncomfortable emotions and feelings. They feel weak and vulnerable and scared. Not powerful and in control. They need to drink to feel normal inside. They would need to get sober for a time to clear the fog then deal with the underlying issues that makes them feel so different and uncomfortable when sober. This takes an extreme amount of self awareness to reach that level. Some get it some don't. Flip a coin and prey. My opinion fwiw.