Originally Posted by failedtaper

That's where I hadn't considered the idea of addiction as being relevant to the desire to quit. I'd always considered chronic alcohol and drug abusers to be addicts. So, if they really don't care about quitting, then they aren't addicted? That's a real bone of contention, because a third party would have a hard time viewing that way, especially if said third party wanted the person to quit.

So I guess the point is that recovery is a "first person" concept (or mental construct) first and foremost. The non-alcoholic alcohol drinker is just somebody that drinks but has no plans to quit. (Some may consider that an oxymoron.) Their level of drinking may be considered by some to be excessive whether or not it really is, and to others just their preference level. The non-alcoholic drinker is not "abstinent" in any sense of the word between drinks, because abstinent implies intent.


FT