Dr. Silkworth on Alcoholics and Human Nature
I recently ran across a couple of articles written by Dr. Silkworth that touch on aspects of human nature and "alcoholics". I thought they would be appreciated here.
"In both professional and lay circles, there is a tendency to label everything that an alcoholic may do as "alcoholic behavior." The truth is, it is simple human nature.
Emotional and mental quirks are classified as symptoms of alcoholism merely because alcoholics have them, yet those same quirks can be found among non-alcoholics too. Actually they are symptoms of mankind!"
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"In any event, the psychology of the alcoholic is not as different as some people try to make it. ...But in many instances, there is no more reason to be talking about "the alcoholic mind" than there is to try to describe something called "the cardiac mind" or the "TB mind."
I think we'll help the alcoholic more if we can first recognize that he is primarily a human being - afflicted with human nature."
For me, I think this speaks very clearly to the idea that the alcohol addiction is quite separate from all the other "isms" that are really just part of being human, but instead seem to be currently wrapped up into one complicated bundle.