good questions,seren and good replies with lots of insight.
as for the an alkie/ addict having a choice, welp, im in AA. the little doctor that loved drunks- doctor william silkworth- i believe had some input in the writingof the bb.
for those that havent heard of or know about doc, he worked with or talked with over 40,000 alcoholics in his lifetime. i havent read any study or read of anyone who had direct contact with as many alkies, so i tend to believe what he says.
when it comes to choice, its not a matter of me having a choice whether i drank or used. there were many,many times every instinct told me not to drink,yet i couldnt chose to not drink.
because i lost the POWER of choice in whether or not i drank. im thoroughly convinced i know exactly when that happened for me- the point i crossed into full blown alcoholism and no longer had the POWER of choice. soooooo many times i knew i shouldnt drink. sooooo many times i fought and fought not to drink, then said," ill just have 2." soooo many times once the first drink touched my lips i said to myself,"oh ****."
because i lost tbe POWER of choice- once i had a a drink
as far as the "disease" concept many use,idk what their definition of that is, but for me it refers to a spiritual disease,which the bb of AA uses that word once.
then its called a malady, which are the same i think?
to overcome alcoholism and addiction, it was necessary for me to find a power greater that myself that could help-a power not of this world. a spiritual power.
HOWEVER
before that could happen, i needed something that was mentioned above- a moment of clarity.that moment of clarity helped me realize alcohol and myself were the common denominators in all my problems.
THEN i had to WANT help.
THEN i had to be willing to do ANYTHING to overcome alcoholism and addiction- even if that meant standing on my head gargling peanutbutter.
another thing i believe- something the bb of aa mentions and i would say that, having been to hundreds of meetings and listening to a few alkies and addicts at those meetings,plus my own experience, is quite true:
the varying traits of an alcoholic/addict.
i wasnt just one way throught my active alcoholism/addiction years. very early on- in high school and a couple years after, i was a shy,unspoken young man(read fearfilled ,insecure....).alcohol would take me out of that shell. then there were a few years i was a cocky,arrogant,know-it-all SOB. i was heartless. i damaged quite a few marriages, my family, and anyone around me. i quit or got fired from some very good jobs because of it,too. because i was lookin out for #1.(read selfish,self centered,resentful,boastful.....)
then i crossed the line into full blown alcoholism. self esteem sunk lower.fears got worse, insecurities were huge. ........
and even then, i wasnt exactly one way through any lf those stages of alcoholism. i could SHOW love at times with absolutely no underlying motive, then go right back to being a selfish,self centered little *****.
then theres the mental and emotional disorders. many alkies/addicts have some form of underlying mental and/or emotional disorder. they are usually covered up by the alcohol or drugs. ive also seen a few misdiagnosed with some mental or emotional disorder because they were dishonest with their doctors about the alcohol and drugs.
and MANY of the do recover.
IF they WANT help and are WILLING to go to ANY length to recover.
even if that means standing on their head gargling peanutbutter.