dreamygirl

Hello -

I was wondering if anyone can further explain something I read, to me:

Alcoholism progresses whether or not you are drinking. Even if you are sober many years, the disease is still progressing. So as recovery progresses, if you pick up a drink 10 years after you got sober, you are as sick as if you never stopped drinking throughout those 10 years.

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I don't understand? Clearly any physical issues will improve correct? How exactly does it progress?

Thanks!

Pick-a-name

Hi: I am by no means an "expert".....BUT there is a book that I found which explains this (and other questions) very well. I can not praise it enough! It is "Under the Influence" by Dr. James Milam and Katherine Ketcham..(her newer book, Beyond the Influence is good, but the "under" is much better, IMHO)

My understanding? Like an allergy or something...say for me, poison ivy. Each time I encounter it, my system is has already been "primed" to react to it....and My reaction is more immediate, more severe..in essence, my system has been altered to a point that it is extremely sensitive to the presence of this substance that provokes the reaction so it takes less and less to respond and the reaction is more and more severe. Maybe this example is not correct...but that is my opinion/explaination.

Get the book....

dreamygirl

Thanks! I have Beyond the Influence, it is a great book. I have hesitated to buy Under the Influence since it was published so long ago, and I had heard that much of the info is dated? Perhaps this is not the case. Thanks for the response!

CarolD

Here you go....

http://www.alcohol-drug.com/neuropsych.htm

Pick-a-name

Dreamygirl; glad I could be helpful. I think it is only about $6.99 ---well worth it, and I am trying to think what would be out-dated. Time for me to read it again!

CarolD

I still give it to my AA sponsees!

UTI finally got me sober....God and AA keeps me there.

DG....I have been sober 16 years.

Long term depression brought me into recovery.

If I were to drink again the depression and ovsession would ignite.

Just my thoughts...

Millwallj

most clinical proffosers cant answer this question as yet dreamy. jury is still out...

...but some are coming to the conclusion that genetics are involved.

its biological in nature and not pschological. that is what most are agreed on.

some even say it does not exist - is just learned behaviour, or habit.

I say its a mixture between habit and biology.

Millwallj

hey, carol, that link is interesting - cheers.

dreamygirl

Thanks - I went to this link. But where does it discuss how the disease progresses even when one remains sober?

Millwallj

"the disease" progression theory is part mythology and part a prevention idea.

Alcoholics, will hardly ever one day be able to resume "normal" drinking. Whether this is down to a "progressive disease" is questionable.

The term is used mainly in AA and a few other fellowships.

dreamygirl

Oh okay - thanks!

Millwallj

its a metaphor for: dont drink, it will - and always does - get worse.

Millwallj

er, get a second opinion on that though.

dreamygirl

Here is a response I received on another addiction board:

"Addiction is a disease of the brain.....And yes the physical will improve.....
It never stops, it goes into a sort of remission......The longer a person is in recovery the farther removed they are from falling back into hell again......but it doesn't mean that they can't/won't.
There are many who relaspse, after years clean and where they were when they left off, they get right back to and real quick......
Here are some interesting links on addiction and the neurology of it all....."
http://life.nthu.edu.tw/~labccc/PP_...ion_NRN2004.pdf
http://abdellab.sunderland.ac.uk/Le...s/JN22_3303.pdf
http://www.brainplace.com/bp/atlas/ch15.php

CarolD

It does not. I just thought the info interesting.

Sorry I should have clarified.

Millwallj

i guess the best judge for this type of question is knowing how I react to alcoholisim.

I know - its a given - that one is never enough.

michaelj

Dreamy girl,
There is often debate on this site about whether or not alcoholism or the addiction to alcohol is or is not a disease. I happen to believe that it is not, I simply developed an addiction to alcohol through regular and large scale consumption. I did the same with cigarettes and I never viewed smoking as a disease, although there are diseases that are the result of smoking in the same way that there are diseases as the result of drinking.
I am an advocate of the rational recovery approach to addiction. Alcohol gave me a significant buzz that my brain enjoyed and it desired repeated replication. That desire for the buzz developed over a number of years into an addiction plain and simple.
The addiction remains but is controlled by my rational desire to enjoy sobriety over drunkenness and to not pick up another drink.
If I pick up a drink my brain will instantly react to the buzz that has been denied it and it will want to have more of the same. I may try to control my intake but the attempt at control will be hopeless because the very presence of alcohol in my brain will prevent my rational thoughts taking control.
There is a rational recovery website which gives a general overview of the basic programme and it is well worth a visit. Rational recovery works for me and I hope that it can work for you.
Best wishes

dreamygirl

[QUOTE=michaelj]Dreamy girl,
There is often debate on this site about whether or not alcoholism or the addiction to alcohol is or is not a disease.

Thanks very much for this thought provoking info.
I should have mentioned this is not for myself but for my AH.
I am of the belief that alcoholism is a disease hence the reason for my
question and the theory behind it.

Thanks just the same!

doorknob

LifeRing and SOS recommend it as well.

DK

laurie6781

Being sober and clean over 24 years now here's my take on this:

Say a person gets sober while they are still a "periodic" (binge drinker, not drinking every day but going on a real "rampage" when they do).

They stop, get sober, stay sober for 10 years or even 5 years.

Decide they have been so good that they can handle a drink now and then.

Once they pick up that first drink they will find that they no longer are a periodic. Within in a day or two they have become a "daily drinker" and are consuming much more than they ever did before they stopped.

This is not a guess, I have seen it happen time and time again. Others have done the research for me.

And the other thing is, although the liver may have started to heal or is healed, within a very short time it too will be in worse shape than it ever was when the person quit the first time.

Hope this helps to clarify the concept in your mind.

Love and (((((to all))))),