bookwyrm

escape artist

it is the disease. for myself i see it as "the devil talking" and i don't even hold those who the devil is talking through as remotely involved. cause it seems to me that all those who have lost their souls through a chemical are operating on a much lower level, and therein is "the devil". So if you can see when it is more like a test for you then you can respond to it in your higher consciousness and not even acknowledge "the disease" for what it is.
Other times i just pray to God to get the Devil the **** away from me-cause i never know what way it is going to come (or by whom). just my crazy honest opinion!

escape artist

there seems to be a link between diabetes and alcoholism, which has to do with the metabolism of sugar. alcohol is fermented product of sugar. i have read there are studies going on about this as well. so maybe an allergy is the best term to use for "alcoholics" and "problem drinkers". My daughter is a sugar addict...if she can get away with it, and I fear if i don't help her learn better behaviors and get her the proper nutrients for her body she will later on turn to alcohol to "fix" that craving.

Butterfly

I have a real difficulty in accepting that my husbands drinking is a disease it's a choice. My husband chose to leave his wife and kids so he could do what he wants when he wants in other words he wants to drink when he wants. It's not a disease that makes you do that it's a persons chose. He chose not to get help to save his marriage if you have a disease you seek medical attention you don't leave it and hope that it will go away on its own. The disease doesn't make you lie and make false promises only to let you down time and time again. It's their choice to lie and manipulate a disease makes it sound that they have no control over their actions but they do they chose not to!!!!

choublak

What about everybody with this disease who is in recovery?

Stung

I agree that those are choices. The disease I think is limited to their ability to control their consumption of alcohol and that's it. An alcoholic has a grossly overwhelming, uncontrollable compulsion to drink. That is a disease. It's like a person with OCD or Tourette's, those are diseases in which people are doing things that the majority of the population can control but these people cannot control themselves in certain regards. Alcoholics have no control over alcohol.

What an alcoholic does outside of consuming alcohol is absolutely a choice. There are alcoholics that are very abusive and alcoholics who are not. Some cheat, some steal, some drive while drunk, some lose jobs, and other alcoholics don't do those things. Those are just plain ol' decisions that are based more on character and merit rather than alcoholism. That's why it's important to remember that alcoholism effects people in all walks of life and doesn't discriminate based on status or wealth or education or background. Regular dysfunctional people also cheat, drive recklessly, steal, are abusive and have trouble holding jobs too. Those things don't not have anything to do with alcohol at all. Just an added bonus.

POAndrea

I do believe alcoholism and other addictions are diseases but still struggle with truly understanding and accepting what that means. Absent xrays, scans, blood tests and all those other diagnostic tools, they just don't seem as real somehow, do they? The behaviors, or symptoms, can be just as devastating and life-threatening as with any other untreated disease, but it just doesn't feel the same. And I'm trying to do better with this. I'm not sure there is as much of a clear delineation between Mind and Body as we may have believed in the past. After all, the brain is an organ just like the heart or a kidney or a pancreas, but instead of bleeding when it isn't working right, it makes bad decisions and does stupid things. (Too bad, 'cause I can deal with blood much better than stupid stuff.)

Trailsky

My therapist and I had a talk about the disease and choices of alcoholism a few weeks ago compared to other diseases. She explained that alcoholism is a disease just like diabetes is a disease. Both diseases are manageable. Alcoholics can make the choice to get into recovery and live the lifestyle of recovery. Diabetics can choose to go to their doctor and manage their disease with insulin, healthy eating, and exercise.

She made me feel better about my separation from AH because he is actively drinking. I said I wouldn't leave him if he had any other disease but for some reason I still feel guilty leaving him knowing that alcoholism is a disease. I can make choices about who I live with. If my husband was a diabetic and neglecting his health constantly I could leave. If he wasn't taking his insulin or eating properly and we were rocking out huge hospital bills due to that, I could leave. If he wasn't managing his diabetes and therefore couldn't work and I had to foot the bill for everything, I could leave.

Yes, my husband has the disease of alcoholism but he also has a choice of managing it and I have a choice of leaving if he chooses not to.

NYCDoglvr

Those who do the steps learn that we are responsible for every action and word, but when we used and now. The steps help us become adults but change takes a long time.
Ignore "it's the disease". It can be the disease but he is STILL RESPONSIBLE.

NYCDoglvr

I'm sober 23 years and will try to answer that. Alcoholism is classified as a mental illness; the thinking is very distorted. If someone schizophrenic hears voices it's the disease. Same with depression. These are diseases in the same way alcoholism is.
But why does it matter anyway?

During my sobriety I've worked the steps, gone to therapy and helped other alcoholics. I've changed a great deal but I'm still an alcoholic. What I've learned is I always have a choice ... to drink or not drink. It takes years and a lot of hard work to modify the alcoholic thought. What doesn't work is nagging someone to stop drinking. There is nothing anyone can do to affect this addiction except the alcoholic himself.

hopeful4

Bravo....very well said and Congrats on your long term sobriety. That is wonderful.

Thanks for sharing!

Spinner-007

"oh, and oone more thing....i just hate it, hate it, hate it when i read on here when it's compared to diabetes.

i have diabetes and i take very good care of myself. "

Or being compared to like having cancer. Almost everybody I know or have heard abut who had cancer chose to go through very painful treatments to get rid of it.

Unrepentant addicts don't.

It really hit home when another poster said that he loses all sympathy for anyone who is 'sick' but goes back to the store and continues to buy their disease.