BillyPilgrim

For a long time when I was drinking, one of the thoughts that kept crossing my mind were would it not be easier to give up if drink didnt have as much of a stigma. After all, those who smoke get help and are publically applauded for giving it up. I still wonder that, I am grateful for AA and SR, and I am public about my alchoholism now I do however wonder if more people would seek help earlier if they were not afraid of the label
What do people think, would they have gone earlier to AA if it didnt hold such a stigma, or would that make AA not work?

justhadenough

I think it is an image about drinking too much full stop rather than an image of AA. Your point about people being applauded for giving up smoking is really good. Yet if you tell people you are giving up drink as you are addicted people look embarrassed and don't know what to say. The image of a 'problem drinker' 'alcoholic' is a bad one to most people.

I'm in the UK and the binge drinking culture here is horrendous. I'm late 30s and am sure it wasn't as bad 20 years ago as it is now. Shots shots and shots, teenagers and young people just 'get hammered' every weekend. Who knows what they will be like in 2 years.

Dee74

I didn't want to 'admit defeat' on the matter of my drinking...I wanted to 'master it' as I'd mastered so many other things.

I simply didn't want to change my life....I felt, at the time, my own problem was my drinking.

My reservations and my reluctance didn't have anything to do with AA, or any other method or group

D

Sapling

I think fear is what held me up for far to long. I see it on here a lot. The thought of never drinking again. It wasn't that I enjoyed it or I would miss it....It was I didn't think it was possible for me to survive mentally or physically without it. I guess alcohol took me to a point that I was thinking more about dying...Than I was about living...That's a very scary place to be. I went into AA as a last resort. Knew nothing about it. I'm grateful for that. Did what I was told for the first time in my life and am coming up on 8 months sober...Alcohol and drug free. For me...That is nothing short of a miracle.

BillyPilgrim

Agreed, I am in UK too, binge drinking is bad here, but I just wonder if there are a lot of people who dont go because they are afraid of the label. Yes drinking is bad, but if people are afraid of AA because they dont want to be labelled should there not be publicity in that area. I happily admit I am AA now, but that is only because I got very poorly with alcohol

Fubarcdn

I think smoking lost most of it's glamor when the advertising laws were changed in a lot of countries either banning or eliminating the promotion of the product.
In Canada and many other countries now cigarette packages must have both verbal and graphic images of the results of smoking.
If the governments of the world had the will (which they don't) to impose advertising restrictions on alcohol along with graphic images of liver damage from drinking and the such I am sure it would also fall out of favor.
Biggest problem is that most governments, especially Canad and the UK, make huge revenues from liquor taxes and the costs to the health care system, in comparison to smoking are minimal.
It will be a growing problem as long as both of these parties need for greed continues.

augustwest

the stigma seems to be slowly changing, but its still there. I came to the realization that I wasnt going to save my ass and my face at the same time. I chose my ass. anyone who judges me for saving my own life can go to hell. don't want em, don't need em.

BillyPilgrim

Quite right august. Couldn't agree more.

justhadenough

Hello AR,

I think many people are afraid to take that first step ie to see their doctor or want anyone to see them. I would never go to my doctor about my problem nor want to go to AA. Whilst it is meant to be anonymous it isn't confidential and I don't want people knowing my business.I learnt this the hard way. SR is great as no one knows who we are!

BillyPilgrim

Exactly, if the road to quitting were made a little less bumpy in terms of the health authorities giving positive messages to give up drinking, instead of condemnation of the drinker, I think more people would embrace sobriety earlier. Although we lied to ourselves whilst drinking about the problem, we knew in our hearts we had a problem, and stigma was one of the excuses I for one used for not going to sort it out. SR is great I agree, it has helped me when I was down and needed someone to talk to.

PurpleCat

I think it still has alot to do with the old stereotypical view of an alcoholic. People think of the homeless guy sitting on the street corner drinking cheap wine out of a paper bag instead of someone like their doctor or friend or kid's teacher. There's also still this idea out there that it's just a matter of willpower, and if a person wanted to stop they easily could. In other words, the alcoholic is just too lazy to stop and wants to be that way - there's something mentally wrong with them.

Until there is some type of public service or media campaign that depicts problem drinkers in a more realistic manner (and I'm not holding my breath on that one - too much money involved in the alcohol industry), I don't see that mainstream view changing.

sugarbear1

People who don't understand what it's like to be drawn to this poison just don't have it in them to understand us or alcoholism on any level......the reactions of these people hasn't changed since humans began to crush grapes and ferment them!

The percentage of alcoholics to the non-alcoholics is small, but alcoholics in their drunk state create a lot of damage in many ways. Many times we create problems in our non-drinking state as well.

hmmmm?!

lilac0721

I think a lot of the stigma has to do with people's positive perceptions of drinking and what drinking does for them. there are so many commercials/ads and movies that depict how much fun people have while drinking. So people have drinking associated with good times and question those of us who no longer have good times when imbibing.

And PurpleCat is right, there is still an image of what an alcoholic is.

Justhadenough you are also right about the fact that anonymity doesn't equate to confidentiality! I've personally experienced that. It is awful.

BillyPilgrim

Perhaps it is the same as smoker adverts were in the 50s and 60s - really good for your chest and tender on your lungs!
That image needs to change, but you are not going to get a 18 yo binge drinker to give up unless the path to recovery is made easier.

2granddaughters

The folks who look down on AA don't understand what is happening... and I can't allow my life to be influenced by folks who "don't understand".

Go to AA meetings and you'll find the local doctor, lawyer and police chief (that's the way it was in my group).
I never gave a hoot who saw me staggering out of the bar, pub, club etc and I don't give a hoot today who sees me coming out of an AA meeting
If someone knows I go to AA, I may be able to help them in the future.

Wishing you the best.

Bob R

nexttime

I think for some the stigma of being called or labeled an alcoholic most definitely keeps them away from recovery. But I also think that it just means that those individuals haven't hit a bottom or had a strong enough moment of clarity to truly want to quit. As long as a person thinks they are managing their drinking they will not seek help. People may seek out places like SR instead of AA because of a stigma and confidentiality problems but you still have to have the WANT to quit to seek help.

BillyPilgrim

Agreed, but would it not be better to catch people before they sink to that level?

augustwest

We cant change what society thinks or says about addiction. What we can control is the action we take to treat our disease. And if it happens to be something that people dont understand or judge so be it. The consequences of conituing to drink and use drugs are far greater than what people may think or say about us.

If alcoholism were viewed differently it may well be easier to quit, but that aint reality. And I could come up with 1,000 rationalizations and justifications a day to continue, and I did for years. Bottom line we must take responsibility for our recovery by taking whatever action is necessary. No one else will, and continuing down that dark path only reinforces the false beliefs people hold about this disease.

Zebra1275

The social stigma, in part, kept me from admiting I was an alcoholic and seeking help.

Terminally Unique

Most people, notably those "in recovery" themselves, fail to realize that the "disease of alcoholism" actually shields the liquor industry from such regulation. The reason they were able to crack down on cigarette advertising is because there is, as of yet, no disease of nicotineism, and cigarettes were seen as the problem. The liquor industry has been promoting the disease of alcoholism, behind the scenes, with massive funding, for decades. They know all too well that as long as a disease, and not alcohol, is considered the problem, then they will not end up like the tobacco industry. It is a relatively new development that certain organizations in what might be termed the "alcoholism movement" have stopped taking free money from the liquor industry.