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Disease of Addiction

Old 05-29-2011, 03:45 PM
  # 21 (permalink)  
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dis·ease
n.
1. A pathological condition of a part, organ, or system of an organism resulting from various causes, such as infection, genetic defect, or environmental stress, and characterized by an identifiable group of signs or symptoms.
2. A condition or tendency, as of society, regarded as abnormal and harmful.
3. Obsolete Lack of ease; trouble.


disease [dɪˈziːz]
n
1. (Medicine / Pathology) any impairment of normal physiological function affecting all or part of an organism, esp a specific pathological change caused by infection, stress, etc., producing characteristic symptoms; illness or sickness in general


disease /dis·ease/ (dĭ-zēz´) any deviation from or interruption of the normal structure or function of any body part, organ, or system that is manifested by a characteristic set of symptoms and signs and whose etiology, pathology, and prognosis may be known or unknown.


dis·ease
[dih-zeez] Show IPA noun, verb, -eased, -eas·ing.
–noun
1.
a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment.
2.
any abnormal condition in a plant that interferes with its vital physiological processes, caused by pathogenic microorganisms, parasites, unfavorable environmental, genetic, or nutritional factors, etc.
3.
any harmful, depraved, or morbid condition, as of the mind or society: His fascination with executions is a disease.
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Old 05-29-2011, 04:19 PM
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Originally Posted by BadCompany View Post
dis·ease
[dih-zeez] Show IPA noun, verb, -eased, -eas·ing.

1. a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment.
Poisons? Maybe those 60,000 alcoholic beverages I had has something to do with this...er disease LOL!
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Old 05-29-2011, 05:38 PM
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The disease/not disease controversy has raged for years.
We're not going to solve it in this thread.

All I know is it wasn't necessary for me to define my alcoholism to fight it.

If all this thread is becoming is an argument between two members about aspects of AA history, I'm going to have to shut it down.

D
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Old 05-29-2011, 06:04 PM
  # 24 (permalink)  
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Good for you, Dee! I heartily concur in your saying that it was not necessary for you to define alcoholism in order to fight it. Rather than waste time arguing about it and getting all upset and personal, wouldn't it be better to talk about what to do about alcoholism? AA works for some folks. Other folks find other ways to do it. I found that having some group support was very helpful. But some folks get sober without that. All that's fine with me. If it works then that's just fine. I didn't get sober by digging back into the history of AA and arguing about it. If I had then I think that this would probably have diverted me from my main goal, which was to stop drinking-- for good.

W.

Last edited by wpainterw; 05-29-2011 at 06:06 PM. Reason: typo
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Old 05-29-2011, 06:28 PM
  # 25 (permalink)  
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I've really avoided jumping back into this thread because it was absolutely not my intent to start infighting or any sort of controversy (though I suppose perhaps I should have assumed something like that would happen) and I'm totally on board with shutting it down to avoid further issue.

However, before that happens, I would like to clarify my intent with this - which was to describe addiction in a way that refutes the idea that it's "weakness" or "lack of self control" rather than some kind of biological process (disease, illness, whatevs). I would also like to say that I understand the point of view that it doesn't matter what you call it to fight it...but I think that FOR SOME PEOPLE it in fact CAN be important to try to define your condition. At least to some - it was to me, and that's probably why I'm in the line of work I'm - I like to understand how things work and in my line of work, to "solve a problem" (for lack of a better phrase), it's important to understand what goes wrong in that problem. I really do get the point that it's ultimately not what you call it, but how you deal with it. But in the treatment of MY disease (I'm going to stick with calling it that, if you all won't mind), it was important for me to figure out what it was first. That's all! Thanks for all the feedback, points of view, etc. I do enjoy hearing what others think even (and especially) when they disagree!
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Old 05-29-2011, 07:25 PM
  # 26 (permalink)  
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Originally Posted by BadCompany View Post
dis·ease
n.
1. A pathological condition of a part, organ, or system of an organism resulting from various causes, such as infection, genetic defect, or environmental stress, and characterized by an identifiable group of signs or symptoms.
2. A condition or tendency, as of society, regarded as abnormal and harmful.
3. Obsolete Lack of ease; trouble.


disease [dɪˈziːz]
n
1. (Medicine / Pathology) any impairment of normal physiological function affecting all or part of an organism, esp a specific pathological change caused by infection, stress, etc., producing characteristic symptoms; illness or sickness in general


disease /dis·ease/ (dĭ-zēz´) any deviation from or interruption of the normal structure or function of any body part, organ, or system that is manifested by a characteristic set of symptoms and signs and whose etiology, pathology, and prognosis may be known or unknown.


dis·ease
[dih-zeez] Show IPA noun, verb, -eased, -eas·ing.
–noun
1.
a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment.
2.
any abnormal condition in a plant that interferes with its vital physiological processes, caused by pathogenic microorganisms, parasites, unfavorable environmental, genetic, or nutritional factors, etc.
3.
any harmful, depraved, or morbid condition, as of the mind or society: His fascination with executions is a disease.
And which one of those definitions describes your alcoholism?
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Old 05-29-2011, 07:36 PM
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"3.
any harmful, depraved, or morbid condition, as of the mind or society: His fascination with executions is a disease."

That jumped out at me. Hahahaha.

Yeah, I'm a "dis" - i.e. NOT, at "Ease" kind of person unless I'm drinking OR working a program.

Working a program has yielded better results than drinking. Cleaner, smell better, healthier, and less deadly.


I remember saying to myself, I don't know what it is, I don't care, I got it and I'm glad there's a solution. I'll leave the science to scientists and recovery from alcoholism to the recovered alcoholics. It's been working for some time now I don't plan on changing it.
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Old 05-30-2011, 05:06 AM
  # 28 (permalink)  
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Originally Posted by defyinggravity View Post
However, before that happens, I would like to clarify my intent with this - which was to describe addiction in a way that refutes the idea that it's "weakness" or "lack of self control" rather than some kind of biological process (disease, illness, whatevs). I would also like to say that I understand the point of view that it doesn't matter what you call it to fight it...but I think that FOR SOME PEOPLE it in fact CAN be important to try to define your condition. !
May I suggest that much of the confusion may result from assuming that the concepts of alcoholism as due to "weakness" or "lack of self control" and alcoholism as due to "some kind of biological process (disease, illness, whatever)" may not be mutually exclusive? Alcoholism may be viewed as a complex condition, partly due to genetic abnormalities, metabolic allergies and the like and partly due to to personality characteristics, including compulsive-obsessive behavior, attraction to risk taking, shyness, egocentricity, perfectionism, dependence on others, susceptibility to peer pressure, and so on. In addition there may be cultural factors, such as a family history ("cocktails" as an evening ritual), drug infested neighborhoods, parental neglect and abuse. Finally, the condition may be accompanied or follow symptomatically from psychiatric conditions, such as bipolar or depression.And prolonged drinking may result in physical changes in the body, particularly in the brain and in the nervous system.
Thus the "disease or not disease" debate may be a result of oversimplifying this very complex condition which we call alcoholism.
The unfortunate thing is that the debate tends to result in angry exchanges, often of a personal nature. To the extent this happens, this is counterproductive to achieving recovery.

W.

Last edited by wpainterw; 05-30-2011 at 05:09 AM. Reason: typo
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Old 05-30-2011, 12:01 PM
  # 29 (permalink)  
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P.S. Correction to the first sentence of my prior post. Should read "may result from the probability that the [two explanations- disease or something other than disease] may not be mutually exclusive, neither do they exhaust all the possibilities." My point is that alcoholism is complex and may in part resemble an illness or "disease" but may have other aspects as well- genetic, cultural, psychiatric, volitional, etc. etc. Thus the argument over whether it is a "disease" or not may be due to "either or" thinking that may be inappropriate.

W.

Last edited by wpainterw; 05-30-2011 at 12:02 PM. Reason: typo
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