ImReadyToQuit

Obviously in sobriety.. We have to look at ourselves a lot more... So I have no problem with being objective...

Besides alcoholism, my other failures are being a liar.. (previously a scammer and theif as well).. The list goes on..

I think back as far as I can remember and I had very bad traits.

I mean, I was arrested at 7 for stealing some peanut butter crackers.. Thats just bad.....

JustODAAT

I certainly have moral failings, and I am certainly an alcoholic.

But I don't really think about my alcoholism as a moral failing. I think of it as a genetic predisposition I made worse, and I'm responsible for that. But I don't think that's a moral failing.

ImReadyToQuit

I'm from the school of alcoholism being a moral failing like any other.. I was immoral before I ever touched a drink.. And I think that failing brought me to drink more and more...

Bubovski

I had and still have many moral failings.
As for the type, I see alcohol exacerbating all of them as well as creating new ones.
It is all a work in action (in my case) and AA principles are helping me accomplish this.

JustODAAT

No question alcohol exacerbated my other moral failings.

You're making me think about it: I knew my drinking was bad for me, I knew it affected others negatively, I knew I put others at risk at times (driving when I shouldn't have, for example), and I did it anyway.

Perhaps you're right. That sounds like a moral failing.

polaris

Im not as friendly/loving/compassionate/altruistic/ etc. etc. as I feel I should be.

freshstart57

I was a sinner, and I still am, I suppose. And I no longer drink alcohol.

nomis

Did you have any trauma as a child? Addiction in your home, verbal, physical or sexual abuse, acrimonious divorce of your parents, neglect, disappearance of a parent?

Studies have shown that if you checked all six boxes you have a 4600 times greater chance of developing addiction later in life over someone who checked none of those boxes.

UnixBer

I'd say one moral outbreak has been for me prank calls and set up visits with all kinds of priests (christian). I've done this more often than I can count and most often also out of curiosity and for laughs.

Once a headpriest took my call very seriously and drove a very long trip to me without taking gas-money and started doing exorcism around the place. (I didn't know priests were armed with latin-sounding peoms(spells/prayers) so I was suprised). Mostly other times I wanted to ask questions. But well, I never had any answers. The "answers" were bible quotations and something entirely irrelevant to the question. It is because of that reason that I am more atheist today. I sure don't want to stand on such an unstable ground as those people I talked to, as they see the world.

In contrast, I don't know if moralism is a smart idea and worst thing for anyone's moral is propably trying to subdue another to their own values. But with common sense, I can see looking back that not all my actions were very virtuous. There is some digging to do with this stuff from the past, but the last thing anyone should do is start wallowing in guilt or such. Past is in the past and it is human to make mistakes and so on...

ImReadyToQuit

I had a perfect upbringing... No one to blame but myself.. I think the only blame I could place would be there wasn't ENOUGH correction when I was young.

nomis

There are usually very good reasons why people become alcoholics or drug addicts, whether they be childhood trauma, trauma later in life, mental illness, etc., but being a bad person I don't think is one of them.

There's enough blame to go around in addiction. The opposite of blame is shame, and shame keeps people sick. Addiction has thrived on stigma. I thought the only reason I was an alcoholic was because I was a bad person. Turns out I was doing what I what I needed to do to emotionally survive, self-medicating.

I'm not saying we aren't responsible for all the terrible things we did when we were drinking. Of course we are. Everybody has a responsibility if they are sick, to get the help that they need. But calling people immoral for being an alcoholic only makes them more reluctant to admit they are one and ultimately keeps them sick longer.

bigsombrero

I came here to post this and figured someone would beat me to it. This is dead on.

As for me: It's a habit of mine to look for a hole or a crack in a theory, which makes me come off as a trouble-maker. I really don't do it to be mean at all - it's just my scientific brain, whenever I get a hold of a new idea or read about a new development I want to test it. It's like play-time for my brain and I often don't think about how others might be bothered by my skeptical thinking. I love being proved wrong and often forget that others don't share the same views. Many people are looking to find a "system" that gives them comfort. For me, I don't need or want that comfort - I prefer facts and truth. This leads me to be very flippant and dismissive of beliefs that others hold dear.

My biggest fault is probably in how I view myself. I am constantly pushing myself to live up to my expectations (which I set for myself), and every time I fall short I fall into a deep depression. I beat myself up for being a failure and just want to give up at life sometimes. I set impossible goals that are unreachable, and even when I achieve 99% of them I only focus on the 1% I missed.

Oh, and I have zero patience. I used to only go to the supermarket at 4am on weekdays because I can't stand waiting in line. Waiting for the bus or train at peak rush hour, only to find it's late and will be crowded...I have a hard time dealing with that kind of thing. I will often walk instead of wait for a train or a bus - not to save time, but simply because I can't stand to sit still. I need to work on that. Drinking sure didn't help.

GroundhogDay

As the youngest child in my family, I was left to run wild...with scissors! I married a guy who more or less enables me to remain that same person.

soberhawk

It is rather human to have shortcomings – those that believe they have none would raise my suspicion.

I would not see a child that stole as 7 as a human with moral problem, more a confused child that needed some direction and help.

We have a saying here “It is never to late to have a good childhood.”, it is not something you should through in the face of every suffering person – but there is some truth in it.

One of mine could be at times to take on more guilt than I can carry, could be one of yours to.

Grungehead

I did my 5th step with my sponsor, I'm not doing it again here.