People say that alcoholism is like Diabetes, a long-term condition
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Northwest
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People say that alcoholism is like Diabetes, a long-term condition
In Diabetes you inject yourself with a drug like Metformin, but with alcohol you are advised not to use any compenstatory drug ?
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Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Middletown CT USA
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We call that substitution where I come from. Alcohol is just one of a bunch of mind and mood altering drugs.
Part of the deal (IMO) is that in AA we don't use the word "alcoholism", (and in NA we don't use the word "addiction") strictly in the medical sense of the terms. Take away the substance and there's still this feeling of emptiness or spiritual malady that drives us to seek solace in getting loaded.
Likewise, it's long term because even with long periods of abstinence we don't become cured. If we start using/drinking again we suffer the same loss of control we did before.
It's been my experience that we want to be able to take a pill or something else in order to fix us. It doesn't work like that.
Don't worry, recovery is better than any pill.
Part of the deal (IMO) is that in AA we don't use the word "alcoholism", (and in NA we don't use the word "addiction") strictly in the medical sense of the terms. Take away the substance and there's still this feeling of emptiness or spiritual malady that drives us to seek solace in getting loaded.
Likewise, it's long term because even with long periods of abstinence we don't become cured. If we start using/drinking again we suffer the same loss of control we did before.
It's been my experience that we want to be able to take a pill or something else in order to fix us. It doesn't work like that.
Don't worry, recovery is better than any pill.
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Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: UK
Posts: 113
Some people say alcoholism/being unable to drink moderately is a physical medical condition of one kind or another. Medical models for alcoholism help some people. It can be helpful to view the problem as a disease or a sickness that can't be cured.
If medical models don't help, I strongly suggest moving on from them. I think the most important thing is to find a model that works for you. There are others.
Personally, I think harmful use of alcohol is a mental health issue, not a physical health issue. That helps me because it gives me a way to approach it that makes sense to me and can be effective. Thinking about it that way is consistent with using behavioural and psychological approaches to dealing with it.
I think there's a risk of looking too much at what's problematic with various approaches, rather than finding what will help and using it to get sober.
If medical models don't help, I strongly suggest moving on from them. I think the most important thing is to find a model that works for you. There are others.
Personally, I think harmful use of alcohol is a mental health issue, not a physical health issue. That helps me because it gives me a way to approach it that makes sense to me and can be effective. Thinking about it that way is consistent with using behavioural and psychological approaches to dealing with it.
I think there's a risk of looking too much at what's problematic with various approaches, rather than finding what will help and using it to get sober.
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 709
There are meds that can help with cravings. Naltrexone, for one. Baclofen is another. Talk to a doctor who is versed in the medical treatment of addiction. They don't work for everyone but they can be very helpful for some.
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Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 1,183
The analogy for taking metformin if you are diabetic is, don't drink alcohol if you are an alcoholic, and do what you need to do to ensure that you don't drink alcohol under any circumstances. 
I'm not aware of any drug to compensate for alcohol addiction, though small quantities of certain benzos like librium are often prescribed during alcohol withdrawal. People sometimes cross-addict from alcohol to benzos this way, which can be a really really deep hole.
I'm not aware of any drug to compensate for alcohol addiction, though small quantities of certain benzos like librium are often prescribed during alcohol withdrawal. People sometimes cross-addict from alcohol to benzos this way, which can be a really really deep hole.
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 8,614
Hi James, if pondering these kinds of things are helping you stay sober then why not... think of alcohol to an alcoholic as a big bowl of mashed potatoes or a pile of candy bars would be to a diabetic. Just can't have it!
And sometimes people will take Antabuse or something similar. Eve diabetics are not advised to go ahead and throw caution and their diets to the wind despite taking any medications. They still avoid the bad stuff if they want to be healthy... just like us
And sometimes people will take Antabuse or something similar. Eve diabetics are not advised to go ahead and throw caution and their diets to the wind despite taking any medications. They still avoid the bad stuff if they want to be healthy... just like us
Reality...what a concept!
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: CT, USA
Posts: 1,232
It does indeed help many of us to take the physiological approach, and IMHO you are correct that this is a chronic, incurable condition, our lack of an "off switch" when drinking. Fortunately, as others have said, the remedy is to refrain from drinking and not put ourselves at risk.
In the early part of the journey to sobriety it is almost impossible to imagine giving up alcohol; it has taken up so much of our lives and it does take time to find effective ways to fill that time, but the more you work at it, the easier it gets.
The psychological need can be "healed" but the physiological reaction cannot.
As others have said there are drugs to assist in the early stages. Just make sure they are taken for the limited time it takes to overcome the desire to take the first drink and are always taken only as prescribed by a licensed medical provider.
In the early part of the journey to sobriety it is almost impossible to imagine giving up alcohol; it has taken up so much of our lives and it does take time to find effective ways to fill that time, but the more you work at it, the easier it gets.
The psychological need can be "healed" but the physiological reaction cannot.
As others have said there are drugs to assist in the early stages. Just make sure they are taken for the limited time it takes to overcome the desire to take the first drink and are always taken only as prescribed by a licensed medical provider.
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