Originally Posted by
DaveyT 
Thing is I have read all of those studies and it doesn't change a simple fact, we choose to drink. Other addicts stop and stay stopped, they have those brain changes and those genetic predispositions yet they give up. That shows for the rest of us who haven't stopped yet that it is a choice. Professor Nutt has some excellent research of fMRI scans of addicts which shows these changes but they only make us more likely to drink, the choice is ours.
But it's much easier to just blame our genes, upbringing, brain structure etc rather than face up to the reality that we are in control and responsible for our actions.
Davey, but I am saying almost exactly the same
It is our choice to drink, I agree. But the scientific proof that we react differently to alcohol than normal drinkers gave me extra motivation and reasons to quit and never drink again.
I blame my genes for processing alcohol differently than normal drinkers. But I blame myself for being so stupid that it took me so long to accept these facts. I blame myself that it took me so long to realize that I am the only one who can make me stop drinking.
Just read this great article:
Rats, like humans, return to drinking once punishment is removed
There is nothing that can make us stop drinking except for our own desire to quit and the commitment to that decision.