The Alcoholic Allergy
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The Alcoholic Allergy
This came up in another thread I think, and I am curious about it also.
I went from being a young person who drank often and heavily, to a person who then drank occasionally and responsibly for years.
And then back as I was previously, which is unusual. The reason I joined this forum was to learn about alcoholism so please discuss?
Originally Posted by SDH73 
I've not read the big book or any of the related literature, nor have I attended AA.
I get the mental obsession part, but a physical allergy? How is that?
*not an argument, I really want to know.
I get the mental obsession part, but a physical allergy? How is that?
*not an argument, I really want to know.
I went from being a young person who drank often and heavily, to a person who then drank occasionally and responsibly for years.
And then back as I was previously, which is unusual. The reason I joined this forum was to learn about alcoholism so please discuss?
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Join Date: Aug 2013
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Hi.
Some people suddenly are allergic to many things like peanuts, shellfish, poison ivy and on and on. I’m allergic to drinking alcohol which I cannot drink in safety. Unlike other allergies there is a very strong denial factor involved with alcohol which prevents most people from accepting this is deadly and results in a slow/quick death if untreated.
For myself I needed to become honest with myself about my drinking and accept the fact I cannot drink one day at a time in a row in safety.
BE WELL
Some people suddenly are allergic to many things like peanuts, shellfish, poison ivy and on and on. I’m allergic to drinking alcohol which I cannot drink in safety. Unlike other allergies there is a very strong denial factor involved with alcohol which prevents most people from accepting this is deadly and results in a slow/quick death if untreated.
For myself I needed to become honest with myself about my drinking and accept the fact I cannot drink one day at a time in a row in safety.
BE WELL
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I am not in agreement with alcoholism is an allergy. If it is than why don't we call all addictions allergies? Plus consuming alcohol does not cause an immune response like what happens when one is allergic to ragweed. I don't know a doctor alive today who would call alcoholism an allergy.
I became an alcoholic because I had lifelong untreated depression. I had experienced a lot of emotional stressors that occurred quickly and close together. I felt hopeless and helpless and turned to alcohol not to soothe my pain but to make me drunk enough to not care. My alcoholism was a deliberate behavior that quickly grew beyond my control and eventually led to my bottom and surrender.
I became an alcoholic because I had lifelong untreated depression. I had experienced a lot of emotional stressors that occurred quickly and close together. I felt hopeless and helpless and turned to alcohol not to soothe my pain but to make me drunk enough to not care. My alcoholism was a deliberate behavior that quickly grew beyond my control and eventually led to my bottom and surrender.
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I can see why it works for others (IOAA2, peace), it's a pragmatic approach and definitely it's a useful way to look at it regarding cravings and so on…
It doesn't explain anything for me though. Happybeingme, same as that. PsychoSpiritual pain to the max, now try explaining that to the doctors and whoever when you don't understand and can't process it yourself.
Particularly if you are an empath type, as am I. I'l be frank (Hi I'm Frank and…) I've been doing a lot of "work", there is no other word for it I feel its the only meaningful "work" I have ever done, around my childhood stuff…
I drank like a lunatic when I was a teenager. Got seriously injured plenty of times, got in heaps of sh!t, I was run down from being constantly in fight or flight mode all this- I didn't give a hoot. Drinking non stop, this and that, few tunes- be grand.
Left this so called family home thing then. And for the next 6 or 7 years I drank responsibly, took drugs responsibly, made loads of friends, was working hard, partied occasionally, had my own place, my first car, a girlfriend, was well liked in work and outside it, had my creative hobby that payed a bit but more importantly was fun etc… Self actualizing I believe it's called, and I was ahead of most of my peers in that regard.
THE F'N MINUTE my girlfriend insisted I introduced her to my parents and we reconnected in a sense, it all came crashing down. I became depressed, started drinking more alone at night at my place and the rest as they say is history. Can anyone tell me why that is? Because certainly nobody has (you have put me on the right track though happy I believe, and thanks again) I sure asf don't know. WHASSUP WITH THAT?
It doesn't explain anything for me though. Happybeingme, same as that. PsychoSpiritual pain to the max, now try explaining that to the doctors and whoever when you don't understand and can't process it yourself.
Particularly if you are an empath type, as am I. I'l be frank (Hi I'm Frank and…) I've been doing a lot of "work", there is no other word for it I feel its the only meaningful "work" I have ever done, around my childhood stuff…
I drank like a lunatic when I was a teenager. Got seriously injured plenty of times, got in heaps of sh!t, I was run down from being constantly in fight or flight mode all this- I didn't give a hoot. Drinking non stop, this and that, few tunes- be grand.
Left this so called family home thing then. And for the next 6 or 7 years I drank responsibly, took drugs responsibly, made loads of friends, was working hard, partied occasionally, had my own place, my first car, a girlfriend, was well liked in work and outside it, had my creative hobby that payed a bit but more importantly was fun etc… Self actualizing I believe it's called, and I was ahead of most of my peers in that regard.
THE F'N MINUTE my girlfriend insisted I introduced her to my parents and we reconnected in a sense, it all came crashing down. I became depressed, started drinking more alone at night at my place and the rest as they say is history. Can anyone tell me why that is? Because certainly nobody has (you have put me on the right track though happy I believe, and thanks again) I sure asf don't know. WHASSUP WITH THAT?
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I would say that you simply went back to what you knew. As a teen you drank to cope and the minute you went back to your family you drank to cope. In a way it is normal. When it comes to the complexities of family dynamics many of us behave in a way that is the antithesis of what we are in our regular lives.
An example would be the quiet, contemplative person who is suddenly the life of the party at the family reunion. Shedding this has been one of my greatest challenges. Even my own sisters and husband don't know who I really am. I am often asked " what's wrong or are you ok. Or better yet, why are you in a bad mood." Nothing's wrong, mood is fine. I just like being quiet.
An example would be the quiet, contemplative person who is suddenly the life of the party at the family reunion. Shedding this has been one of my greatest challenges. Even my own sisters and husband don't know who I really am. I am often asked " what's wrong or are you ok. Or better yet, why are you in a bad mood." Nothing's wrong, mood is fine. I just like being quiet.
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I agree with happybeingme...... if it's an allergy then are people who can't stop doing drugs also suffering from an allergy? What about gamblers or sex addicts?
I think it's a compulsive behaviour that starts in the mind. Once I start drinking the addicted part of me takes over and I'm compelled to keep going and damn the consequences.
I think it's a compulsive behaviour that starts in the mind. Once I start drinking the addicted part of me takes over and I'm compelled to keep going and damn the consequences.
Its a cold and its a broken hallelujah.
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You know, I DO think that it could be considered an allergy in addition to an addiction.
When I would drink, my face and chest would flush and would get dizzy and nauseous. Many times I even had hives. I would have to clear my throat constantly just to catch a clean breath. At my heaviest drinking, I was also experiencing asthma.
I'm not sure if anyone has ever experienced anaphylaxis ?
I'm an empath too Strat. It has taken me a looonnngggg time to discern and differentiate between my own emotions and feeling those of others.
There's some really good reading about us folk on the net.
I hope you are getting some relief.
XO AO
When I would drink, my face and chest would flush and would get dizzy and nauseous. Many times I even had hives. I would have to clear my throat constantly just to catch a clean breath. At my heaviest drinking, I was also experiencing asthma.
I'm not sure if anyone has ever experienced anaphylaxis ?
I'm an empath too Strat. It has taken me a looonnngggg time to discern and differentiate between my own emotions and feeling those of others.
There's some really good reading about us folk on the net.
I hope you are getting some relief.
XO AO
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I don't think alcoholism is an allergy, but I do use the analogy of an allergy sometimes to help myself. My son has a nut allergy and we are very careful of what we buy and eat as a result. He fully accepts that he cannot eat peanuts or he will get very sick. The analogy I draw is that while I won't get violently ill immediately after drinking, I will get sick again if I drink. Hence it's best for me to avoid alcohol completely as if I were allergic to it.
Trudgin
Join Date: Jul 2014
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I too subscribe to the belief that the term allergy as it relates to alcoholic and drinking is best used as an analogy, perhaps.
If I don't drink I am fine. When I consume booze I have an "allergic" reaction. I sweat profusely, my words become slurred, I become an intolerable bore and will keep drinking the very stuff that makes me this way............
If I don't drink I am fine. When I consume booze I have an "allergic" reaction. I sweat profusely, my words become slurred, I become an intolerable bore and will keep drinking the very stuff that makes me this way............
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alphaomega has it right. by definition, allergies bring about a set of symptoms. compulsion to re-expose ones self to the allergen is not one of them.
i think this whole way of talking was just a way to "dumb down" in an attempt to tell people that some of us just shouldn't drink. if you are allergic to something you avoid it all together, right?
there is a spike in the blood level of histamines, in reaction to alcohol. for some people this is enough to be classified as an allergic response. very common in people of Asian descent. it rarely persuades people to drink more, as is very uncomfortable.
i think this whole way of talking was just a way to "dumb down" in an attempt to tell people that some of us just shouldn't drink. if you are allergic to something you avoid it all together, right?
there is a spike in the blood level of histamines, in reaction to alcohol. for some people this is enough to be classified as an allergic response. very common in people of Asian descent. it rarely persuades people to drink more, as is very uncomfortable.
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After posing that question on another thread and realizing that no answer or discussion was forthcoming I snooped around a little on google and found this.
Addiction As An Allergy - Loss of Control - The Clean Slate Addiction Site
I hope that it is simply an analogy of the "just like someone with an allergy, the alcohol addict must avoid alcohol completely" variety. Otherwise it's just people making things up to suit their own needs and passing it off as truth.
Addiction As An Allergy - Loss of Control - The Clean Slate Addiction Site
I hope that it is simply an analogy of the "just like someone with an allergy, the alcohol addict must avoid alcohol completely" variety. Otherwise it's just people making things up to suit their own needs and passing it off as truth.
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Join Date: Apr 2015
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I have 2 friends who are actually severely allergic to alcohol. If they even touch a drop they break out in hives and have seizures and have trouble breathing - they're allergy means they would never Continuously drink for it would literally kill them Right away. I've always wondered if they would be considered alcoholic by definition - although theyve only drank once or twice in their whole lives.
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Originally Posted by happybeingme
I would say that you simply went back to what you knew. As a teen you drank to cope and the minute you went back to your family you drank to cope. In a way it is normal. When it comes to the complexities of family dynamics many of us behave in a way that is the antithesis of what we are in our regular lives.
Originally Posted by zenchaser
I agree with happybeingme...... if it's an allergy then are people who can't stop doing drugs also suffering from an allergy? What about gamblers or sex addicts?
Originally Posted by alphaomega
I'm an empath too Strat. It has taken me a looonnngggg time to discern and differentiate between my own emotions and feeling those of others.
There's some really good reading about us folk on the net.
I hope you are getting some relief.
There's some really good reading about us folk on the net.
I hope you are getting some relief.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 6,666
Originally Posted by SDH73
After posing that question on another thread and realizing that no answer or discussion was forthcoming I snooped around a little on google and found this.
Addiction As An Allergy - Loss of Control - The Clean Slate Addiction Site
I hope that it is simply an analogy of the "just like someone with an allergy, the alcohol addict must avoid alcohol completely" variety. Otherwise it's just people making things up to suit their own needs and passing it off as truth.
Addiction As An Allergy - Loss of Control - The Clean Slate Addiction Site
I hope that it is simply an analogy of the "just like someone with an allergy, the alcohol addict must avoid alcohol completely" variety. Otherwise it's just people making things up to suit their own needs and passing it off as truth.
I have been subscribing more to this KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid) idea lately that people told me when I was younger. Cant say I appreciated being reffered to as stupid at the time but now I'm pretty much au fait with it.
As for the allergy one thing's for sure it is attention grabbing and would make an active alcoholic think up. I guess it is like an analogy. Maybe it is an astral allergy did anyone think of that? Don't quote me on that though.
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I have real allergies.... to my dog, dust..... God help me if a cat gets too close to me... and I'm sure there are others. What I know for sure is that since I've stopped drinking or even when I was drinking once a week my allergies are nothing like they used to be! I used to eat antihistamines like they were candies and I haven't had to take one for 3-4 months 
So...... I guess what I'm saying is that there is something there where it affects my other allergies, or was even the cause of them..... all I know is that I knocked off the daily drinking and they just diminished.....
I will say that it took more than a decade of alcohol abuse to do this to myself.
So...... I guess what I'm saying is that there is something there where it affects my other allergies, or was even the cause of them..... all I know is that I knocked off the daily drinking and they just diminished.....
I will say that it took more than a decade of alcohol abuse to do this to myself.
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