Waterfalls2014

I'm wondering if anyone else has been told their addiction is greedy? I was told this. I can see where a non alcoholic is coming from but I personally don't feel greedy. Maybe messed up and flawed. I'd give the shirt off my back to help someone in need. I worked everyday even when I felt like a waste of space. I never ran from my problems. I took full responsibility for the heartache I caused. But I also felt it. The damage hurts. Am I greedy?

hokey

I think I was more selfish than greedy when I was drinking. It was all about me, me, me. I certainly wasn't thinking of anyone else when I was drinking, planning to drink, or hungover from the night before. It was all about me getting drunk. The greediness entered the picture when there was another drinker around, I suppose, because I always made damn sure I got more than my fair share! I drank alone 90% of the time, so the greed factored in very little ... but selfish ... yep for sure.

Tonymblue

I dont see greedy. I am very generous and try to help others. I was real generous when i was drinking.

FeelingGreat

Yes, I'll put up my hand to greedy, but just that, not selfish.

Dee74

My addiction had nothing to do with greed, and everything to do with insatiability and lack of control.

D

whalebelow

If you weren't greedy as an alcoholic, you weren't doing it right. (kidding)

Seriously though...... Did any of your drinking buddies develop an aversion to "sharing" a bottle of spirits with you or splitting a case of beer?

Mine did and with good reason.

LBrain

There are countless adjectives to describe an "alcoholic". I'm sure they all apply at least one time or another.

alphaomega

Once the switch is flipped with a single sip, I'm drinking to black. All bets are off. I can say beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I have zero control once any alcohol enters my system. And I will drink mine , yours, theirs, AND their leftovers complete with lipstick on the glass.

Sure, we can call it greed if you like.

Or addiction.

TroubledJoe

Pretty much this. I can see how a non-addict would see our actions as greed but the truth is addiction has nothing to do with greedyness.

I think you can be a greedy/selfish person and be an addict or not, it really doesn't matter anymore than having long or short hair, or what football team you support. It can happen to anyone.

sugarbear1

I was selfish and self centered. I can see where it would look like greed to others.

ScooterBoo

I am self-centered, but not greedy or selfish. It is easy to be self-centered as I live alone, I am retired, I have no children, my closest friends have families they are very involved with. I have a group of social friends that I limit my time with. I am so self-centered and proud that I like them to think I have a much more active life than I do. My best friends were Miller Lite and white zinfandel for many years. Today is Day 16 for me; I have not gone more than 5 days AF in at least ten years. In the past 25 years the longest I have gone is 56 days. That was when I "realized" I had everything under control and could socially drink again! HUH!

Mangoes

I love words, and this got me thinking, because I was wondering the roots of the word greed and if it actually gets used correctly.
Good old Wikipedia had this little tidbit: "Erich Fromm described greed as "a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.""

Although we usually ascribe greed to monetary gain, I suppose using the above statement, most alcoholics are greedy. They hide, hoard, collect, and lie for a personal gain for a need that really can never be satisfied.

Interesting. I was thinking more along the lines of selfish as well, until I really considered the word.

IOAA2

We are a large group of people coming together with different characteristics. Me greedy, yes! When drinking I wanted more, more and more. Once under the influence of alcohol many of our non drinking characteristics change, we get super egos, get angry, combative, dishonest and on and on.
Remember alcohol is POWERFUL.

BE WELL

ScottFromWI

I was selfish as I put my drinking above and beyond everything else for many years. I can absolutely see how others would call me greedy because of that.

Soberwolf

Yes this

Persys

For me it was more a factor of:

"OK, so I NEED to drink. However I go about getting that done doesn't necessarily matter at this point."

And many times greed would be a good word to describe my actions when actively drinking. I'm going to do whatever I need to do to get more.

Fly N Buy

Most accurately for me = selfish, a subset of which is greed. Greed for more of Everything. Including a greed to give more gifts/stuff to others thus making up for being absent while present.

Alcohol is a rapacious creditor.....

VikingGF

I was very "generous"- I would do whatever I had to to make sure there was enough alcohol for me- if that meant buying a rounds all night for someone else so I didn't have to drink alone, fine. Completely about me, yet again. Drinking because "I deserved it." Me time, because "I earned it." Anything to shut out responsibility, accountability. Selfish like crazy.

dSober

I was pretty ***** up in lots of ways only I didn't see. Still working on them.