So for those of you who don’t think it’s a disease, how would you characterize the phenomenon of craving; the biological anomaly that is the alcoholic’s body’s inability to “correctly” process alcohol? It’s described pretty well on pages 34 and 35 of
Under the Influence http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...influence.html.
Whether our unfortunate condition is brought on by genetic or environmental factors is irrelevant. I think it’s pretty obvious it’s a disease. We don’t process alcohol like most people do.
I get pretty fired up about this topic because I think languishing in the idea that we somehow have control over our intake – once it’s begun – is a recipe for a lot of dead alcoholics. Realize the phenomenon of craving is something that doesn’t occur in the average drinker. That’s the manifestation of the disease IMO. Once we start, we can’t stop.
People making excuses for their life’s wreckage a la “oh I’m alcoholic I can’t help it boo hoo hoo”…that’s another thing entirely. Disease or not, as adults our lives are our responsibility. You make your own bed, as the saying goes…