Bad Habit or Disease?
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Bellingham, Massachusetts
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Bad Habit or Disease?
I have to be honest right up front. I've not lost anything from drinking. I haven't had any horrific blackouts, job losses, car crashes, relationship enders... I feelk almost like I'm not screwed up badly enuf to be in here! But I do drink everyday. I think sometimes it is just a bad habit. Like clockwork. I own my own businesses, I work reallllly long days, and then I come home and have 3-6 light beers. I don't get drunk. I don't get out of control. I just don't like feeling dependent, if that makes any sense. I don't like the fact that it makes my stomach hurt too. I've always had problems with my stomach, from when I was a kid, and any kind of alcohol churns my gut up. But I don't stop! Why? I feel like everything in me sez quit. I didn't drink for 4 months last year because of my stomach and I felt great. I lost 20 pounds, had more energy... I had no detox, no scary story there... I just stopped and felt great. But every evening when I start to make dinner, I have one, two, three... So weird. My friends that are in recovery have these crazy stories.... Off the wall, out of control. I just don't like the way it makes me feel, but I feel like it is a bad habit...
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Originally Posted by vichloe 
To me:
A Bad Habit- Something you can quit if you so desire
Disease- Something that will eventually kill you
A Bad Habit- Something you can quit if you so desire
Disease- Something that will eventually kill you
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Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Canada. About as far south as you can get
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Originally Posted by magpie13
I have to be honest right up front. I've not lost anything from drinking. I haven't had any horrific blackouts, job losses, car crashes, relationship enders... I feelk almost like I'm not screwed up badly enuf to be in here! But I do drink everyday. I think sometimes it is just a bad habit. Like clockwork. I own my own businesses, I work reallllly long days, and then I come home and have 3-6 light beers. I don't get drunk. I don't get out of control. I just don't like feeling dependent, if that makes any sense. I don't like the fact that it makes my stomach hurt too. I've always had problems with my stomach, from when I was a kid, and any kind of alcohol churns my gut up. But I don't stop! Why? I feel like everything in me sez quit. I didn't drink for 4 months last year because of my stomach and I felt great. I lost 20 pounds, had more energy... I had no detox, no scary story there... I just stopped and felt great. But every evening when I start to make dinner, I have one, two, three... So weird. My friends that are in recovery have these crazy stories.... Off the wall, out of control. I just don't like the way it makes me feel, but I feel like it is a bad habit...
Wishing you the best in your recovery.
Bob R
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: MD
Posts: 15,967
I believe in nictotinism. I just think it's too lucrative in sales & marketing to label it as such.
If things aren't bad for ya, stop drinking. Bad habits can be changed. I can't have one, two or three and stop, but that's me. I drank a 6 pack every night. I needed something more than just stopping and the steps saved my life.
I wish you well!
If things aren't bad for ya, stop drinking. Bad habits can be changed. I can't have one, two or three and stop, but that's me. I drank a 6 pack every night. I needed something more than just stopping and the steps saved my life.
I wish you well!
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Posts: 645
Magpie,
If drinking is causing you problems, then it is a problem. I don't think it matters what you call it. My question to you is: How bad do things need to be before you quit drinking? If I had a skin cancer lesion, I wouldn't say, "It isn't serious enough to do anything about it. I'm going to wait until the cancer has spread and then I'll do something about it." That would be insane thinking. By the way, normal social drinking is considered 7 drinks per week for a woman and 14 drinks per week for a man.
Susan
If drinking is causing you problems, then it is a problem. I don't think it matters what you call it. My question to you is: How bad do things need to be before you quit drinking? If I had a skin cancer lesion, I wouldn't say, "It isn't serious enough to do anything about it. I'm going to wait until the cancer has spread and then I'll do something about it." That would be insane thinking. By the way, normal social drinking is considered 7 drinks per week for a woman and 14 drinks per week for a man.
Susan
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Singapore
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Here's a quote I remember from TU on this topic... It's just about the best thing ever said regarding the debate of disease vs choice, at least when such a debate is ongoing between a bunch of drinkers....
Originally Posted by Terminally Unique
If drinking screws you up and alcoholism is a disease, you had better quit drinking. If drinking screws you up and alcoholism isn't a disease, you still had better quit drinking.
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: LA, California
Posts: 372
Although I'll say 3 light beers a day is not that bad at all, the everyday part is what worries me. If you can stop on your own then try it. Start skipping days or only drink on the weekends, if you cant do that then IMO you have a problem. Albeit not that bad, you don't want to wait for it to get worse. I'm sure all of us started off slowly, my routine was a 6 pack a night and that progressed to nearly 20 beers a day. Everyday.
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 464
The Big Book answers that question directly. In a nutshell, if you cannot ALWAYS stop you may be an alcoholic. If you can always ( every single time) stop drinking you may just have a problem with booze that can be handled by exercising more control. I am a drunk, lack of power is my problem
Join Date: Aug 2011
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Originally Posted by susanlauren
By the way, normal social drinking is considered 7 drinks per week for a woman and 14 drinks per week for a man.
Forward we go...side by side-Rest In Peace
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Serene In Dixie
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Listen to your body....it's telling you to quit adding alcohol to your system.
The fact your gut aches and stil you drink....what is that about?
Hmmm....I think it matters not what you call it...please do quit
and enjoy a sober healthier future.
Have you asked your doctor for testing concerning your physical problem? Please do and be honest about your drinking.
Welcome...
The fact your gut aches and stil you drink....what is that about?
Hmmm....I think it matters not what you call it...please do quit
and enjoy a sober healthier future.
Have you asked your doctor for testing concerning your physical problem? Please do and be honest about your drinking.
Welcome...
Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 12
I think it is more like a bad habit in the early stages and into the middle stages.
And by the late middle states and late stages it is more like a disease.
I do believe, whether one calls it a "disease" or not, that certain people such as myself have bodies that are wired such that we have intense cravings for alcohol, especially when actually drinking.
When I was drinking, I began seriously considering leaving my family because they were starting to get in the way.
And by the late middle states and late stages it is more like a disease.
I do believe, whether one calls it a "disease" or not, that certain people such as myself have bodies that are wired such that we have intense cravings for alcohol, especially when actually drinking.
When I was drinking, I began seriously considering leaving my family because they were starting to get in the way.
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Midwest USA
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I would say it is a bit more than a "bad habit". It led me to be homeless drinking out of a paper bag in an alley and begging for change all day. I don't believe bad habits can destroy a persons life the same way.
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Join Date: Oct 2011
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I've been thinking about this too Magpie (but more 'bad habit or addiction' rather than the disease bit) because of having difficulties breaking 'bad habits' that can't possibly be addictions. Is biting your nails a bad habit or an addiction? I'm not sure it matters what you call it though. Maybe people only question it because the words 'addict' and 'alcoholic' have so much stigma attached to them.
No matter what you will always be better AND worse than someone else so comparing stories probably isn't useful. I've never had any blackouts or any other public traumas either, but I did have stomach problems (which seem to be fine now after 7 days sober) and developed peripheral neuropathy because of drinking. It has taken me a long time to stop and I'm kicking myself now because I talked about stopping years ago when I probably could have got away with calling it 'problem drinking', no health problems, no social problems... Drinking only causes more problems with time, even if you can't see them on the surface.
No matter what you will always be better AND worse than someone else so comparing stories probably isn't useful. I've never had any blackouts or any other public traumas either, but I did have stomach problems (which seem to be fine now after 7 days sober) and developed peripheral neuropathy because of drinking. It has taken me a long time to stop and I'm kicking myself now because I talked about stopping years ago when I probably could have got away with calling it 'problem drinking', no health problems, no social problems... Drinking only causes more problems with time, even if you can't see them on the surface.
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