FYI-Misdiagnosis.
 

In Health class today we had a lecture on STD's amongst other things from the medical staff at a close by hospital. They got to Hep-C and used an example: This man was a heavy drinker/IV drug user, was diagnosed with Hep-C, after speaking with him he still continued to drink/drug and remained sexually active spreading the disease. They really badmouthed the man for his actions, said they warned him he would die very soon if he kept up, explained morality and ethics to him but he kept doing it and soon died of Hep-C.

That man did not die of Hep-C, he died of untreated alcoholism and drug addiction. He was the real McCoy.

The zealot in me wanted to pull out my 4th edition and explain the Opinion of William D. Silkworth, Carl Jung, and Co.

Yep. If I recall, 'a mere code of morals' hasn't proven sufficient for the real McCoy to sit up and fly right. Neither has fear, for any long term success.

In spite of the horrible consequences that awaited me, in spite of the damage I was doing to everyone around me, I continued to drink.

Oh do I understand that one. When I went back to school at 42 and 6 years sober, to get my RN degree, I ended up having some 'real' battles with some of the 'instructors' roflmao

There is definitely 'misdiagnosis' still going on. I used to carry with me to all my classes, a copy of "The Doctors Opinion". various articles out of the AMA Journal, and various written papers about this subject (or the subject of alcoholism). Was I a Zeolot? Maybe, but I was far enough in my recovery that I didn't want all those 'younger' gals and guys studying to become nurses to have the wrong information.

There are, slowly, more and more medical examiners putting the 'correct' cause of death on death certificates instead of the politically correct ones, but it is an ongoing battle. His cause of death probably should have read Hep C aggravated by Chronic Alcoholism.

J M H O

Love and hugs,

Had it all played out in my mind too, it was an auditorium style setting, several hundred folks, I had a 4th edition in my backpack, I was ready to storm the podium and we were going to have a little Big Book study. :)

I stayed in my seat...never said a word. <---see, that's God's power, my power would have been the previous statements.

Hope your tongue wasn't bleeding too bad from chomping down on it, Tex. I can only imagine the restraint you showed. Growth.

The BB even tells us there's a world of ignorance and misunderstanding when it comes to our illness.

"Die an alcoholic death or die on a spiritual basis"

When I get to that line in the Book with a sponsee i explain that dying an alcoholic death can come in many forms...I think a lot of people fail to realize you can go live in the street for 40 yrs being a begger and die, AIDS, Hep C, Cancer, DWI, in prison...this illness is ruthless and will get us any way we can.

It's scary stuff, it really is.