1963comet

Was reading this in a new comer thread.

I do not understand why two out of seven kids became drinkers when parents were not drinkers at all. Telling people if they have a family history they might become addicted is my Question. Why is this?

I know another family that parents never drank and all the kids are drinkers.

best

If a person doesn't drink, they could still be an alcoholic but just don't know it because it has never been tested.
With a family history... the chances are higher that a person could be.
I have mixed thoughts and feelings about how and why things are so and because of the mix... I think it is a good idea to tell all people what could happen with alcohol intake.(history or not)

Tazman53

Comet if an alcoholic never drinks then they will never have a problem with alcohol, this is common amoung religous groups where drinking is not allowed, the parents being good (Name the religion) never drink, but thier kids do not follow the teachings of their parents religion do drink.

Alcoholics will not become full blown alcoholics if they never drink.

My father was a recovered alcoholic, as a result there was never any booze in my house the whole time I was growing up, but I drank and my being an alcoholic led to more drinking which led me to full blown alcoholism.

Take a look at the Native American, they never drank alcohol until the Europeans introduced it to America, the percentage of Alcoholic native Americans is through the roof! Yet none of them drank before alcohol was introduced.

GlassPrisoner

The bottom line for me is this. It doesn't matter why I'm an alcoholic.

Sure, it's nice to know. And, I do believe this disease is heriditary. (I come froma long line of drunks, most of whom are dead) .

It's also good to know that I have an allergy of the body ad an obsession of the mind.

What is importnat to me us the solution, which I've found in the fellowwship of AA and the 12 steps.

User_Name

Both of my parents are not alcoholics, my father may drink enough to catch a buzz once a year if that (Christmas usually). My mother hardly ever drinks either, yet both myself and my brother are alcoholics. I don't know why, we had an awesome upbringing. Never went without any essentials but we both fell into using alcohol in unhealthy ways. I stopped trying to figure it out, but it does seem that a lot of people in AA had alcoholic parents.

Steve58

Count me in the "first in family" column. First known, anyway.

I liked your post, tracee, well put, where exactly did this come from?

It's very similar to the nature/nurture arguement. No concrete proof either way, probably because it can go either way, depending in individule people.

Anyway, I leave the how's & whys to others, it doesn't matter any more than wondering why I need glasses, when most of my family doesn't, it is what it is, and I have to deal with it.

Best!
S

Steve58

Thanks, Tracee. Good food for thought! Not one for the "disease" model, but brain disease is something I can agree with.

I, as well, have discussed drugs & alcohol with my kids from an early age, in a way they could relate to it. Thankfully, they were a bit young when I was at my worst. They heal quickly.

Thanks,
S

nandm

Going back as far as I know.

Both paternal and maternal grandfathers alcoholics
on my fathers side: out of 9 children 7 are alcoholics; my father is not
on my mothers side: out of 4 children 2 are alcoholics; my mother is not
out of my siblings and myself: 3 are alcoholics one of those is also an addict, I am one of the alcoholics, 1 normie, and one anorexic.
Of my children; one is on a path that could lead to alcoholism. the oldest stopped using drugs or alcohol of any kind, and my youngest is too young to know about.

Environment, genetics, mental who knows. I just know that I was warned about it at a young age and never believed it could happen to me. But yet here I am.

CAPTAINZING2000

is it relevant?

Same can be asked of kids coming from good homes that, commit crime as well!!

Tommyh

I disagree(agreeably) with the inheriting alcoholism thing.
I did not inherit my habit of drinking from anyone nor did I get it from God.I was not born an alcoholic.After studing the Big Book I see why I am a alcoholic.I cannot blame my drinking on anyone,nor my drug use,on anyone but myself.

Father John Doe once said during a talk he believed 5% of the alcoholics in AA was physopaths,15% common alkies,and 80% neurotic.I belive he was on to something.
I may have been a neurotic who found booze and dope.
After that I drank/drugged myself into alcoholic insanity.We humans are chemical beings.Alcohol and dope are chemicals and after very much intake of them,and not proper intakes of good food,water,rest,exercise,vitamens,etc,my body was out of balence,chemical imbalences,and my natural instincts warped and I was about dead.

just my take,but once again,I cannot blame my drinking on anyone or anything.I take full responsibility for it.

nandm

There is a difference between accepting responsibility and accepting one has a disease. Read the "The Doctor's Opinion" of the BB and you will find his opinion is one of alcohol acting as an allergen in the body of an alcoholic. To say that one does not take responsibility because they comprehend that when alcohol enters their body, their body reacts differently than a normal drinker is a little extreme in thought. I take full responsibility for my actions when I drank. I take full responsibility for treating my disease of alcoholism today. That is why I work the steps, and principles, attend meetings, work with others, and work with my sponsor. The first step is "admitted we are powerless over alcohol". I personally can not say for sure where the problem of alcoholism originates. Nor do I really care. With the family history I have I have to wonder if their is a genetic component but it is truly irrelevant to me as I am an alcoholic which is a deadly disease I have to treat or die

1963comet

Thank's for the input. I really did not give a hoot about myself. Because it will never change anything. But it bothers me that telling a kid they could be alcoholic if it runs in the family. Because looks like it is not alway so.

I just told my son for years that he Will have a problem because his mother and father did. I feel today that I should have not said that to him. Instead I should of explaned what it does to some people.

barb dwyer

I say it's a personality type long before it's a substance.

Ananda

Thought this seems to apply to my concept of alcoholism. It is part of a writing by -Shin Yatomi, budhist.

The purpose of faith is to correct the fundamental causes which bring about such suffering. You will never succeed in improving the situation as long as you only try to change the effect.No matter what your problem is, it is an effect. An effect invariably means that there was both an internal cause and an external cause which worked together to bring about that effect. An internal cause alone will not produce an effect, nor can an external cause by itself create an effect. Suppose we have a seed (internal cause). It will never sprout (effect) unless it is watered (external cause). Conversely, no matter how much water we may pour, nothing will sprout if there is no seed.

emack321

As a certified addictions Nurse Practitioner, I can tell you what we know.

There is an addiction gene (or a normal gene which doesn't react normally). It runs in families, but the addiction can be anything including workaholics. The definition of addiction is: "I have no control over_______". Just fill in the blank.

Many people are "born" addicts but never meet the situation that triggers their addiction activity. That's why many families are confused when most everybody seems normal and then there's someone who can't control themselves. If families don't realize this, every member is in danger of succumbing to the problem.

Hope this helps

sugErspun

What chromosome is that gene found on?

Barto

Is this your entire definition?

Tommyh

Read the "The Doctor's Opinion" of the BB and you will find his opinion is one of alcohol acting as an allergen in the body of an alcoholic.


well,I have studied over it some,and I used to be able to control my drinking quite easy.No visible signs of any allergy then.

Now I belive there is probally a previous mental condition relieved by the use of booze...

Barto

Well, I read “The Doctor’s Opinion,” but I didn’t see anything about a “general addiction gene.” I do see statements about a “physical allergy to alcohol.”

I also see statements about “mental obsession” and “peculiar metal twists” that lead the alcoholic to take the first drink despite significant past experience that should tell him this will probably lead to some really serious trouble – maybe even prove fatal.

I’m going to have to think that the book may be correct in that it is a “physical allergy to alcohol” (causing the phenomenon of craving) coupled with a “mental obsession to take the first drink” that are the hallmarks of the disease of "alcoholism."

I just thought of something. I remember I didn’t have any allergies to anything when I was younger. Now I have allergies to things that require me to take allergy medication pretty much daily. Do you suppose that an allergy can come into being later in life?

As far as it being a family disease, I know there is a lot of it my family.

Tazman53

I will let them start with mine!!!

In regards to allergies..... well imo alcoholism is a disease, but in reality that is neither here, nor there, I accept the fact that I am an alcoholic and that I can never drink again safely. Does it really matter if it is a mental or physical disease? Nope! The only things that matters is that I have found a solution for it and as long as I continue to work on that solution and not drink all will be well.

My father warned me that I needed to be careful about my drinking because alcoholism ran on both sides of my family...... of course I did as most kids do, I ignored the warning, I figured "Well my dad quit, my brother quit, my living grandfather quit, when it becomes a problem I will to!"

Well it was a problem that for the last 10 years I drank I could not resolve alone trying to use simply my own will power.

It really does not matter what I beleive alcoholism is or is not, just that I know I am and to accept that and work on it.