I'm pissed (can I say that here?)
Psalm 118:24
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ILLINOIS
Posts: 15,203
I like the idea of it being a treatable allergy.
Never have I pondered why I have an allergic reaction to a bee sting.
It took me a lot longer to determine alcohol has the same effect on me.
Never have I pondered why I have an allergic reaction to a bee sting.
It took me a lot longer to determine alcohol has the same effect on me.
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Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Dallas, Texas
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haennie - I know that you follow my postings and for some reason feel compelled to make assumptions about me. Some are accurate, some are not. It is dangerous to "fill-in-the-blanks" here in this forum. Like you said, you don't know me. You say you have discerned a pattern where I get frustrated and transfer that to others (and now science). That is not entirely accurate. I may show a pattern here on SR in my postings, but there is so much more to it. I think it is unfair to make assumptions about my psychological state or my motives based on sporadic postings on a forum. This is not the place to go into this. PM me if you want to continue.
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Toronto, ON
Posts: 518
Originally Posted by haennie 
Yeah there seems to be a consensus here on SR and probably in the recovery field in general, that "all" we need are choices and actions. Sure. But for some of us, thorough understanding of how the problem works and how to change our patterns based on our default setting can be very helpful. I'm definitely one of these. It's not magic, just an aid in recovery and in problem solving in general. I think we all need to take what's helpful for us personally from all the advice given to us, and run with it. But then really do it and keep moving 
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Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 295
I totally agree with you, Art friend and I don't understand why the judgment in some of these responses to a reasonable question. I have also gotten frustrated when I try to find answers to other important issues and there is a lot of research from experts that leads to nothing.
Seems when I look up other conditions people have, or disorders I have - OCD,Restless left syndrome, so on, the cause is almost always "unknown" and I can't understand why, after all the research supposedly done, there are so few explanations, or worse, more than one answer.
Seems when I look up other conditions people have, or disorders I have - OCD,Restless left syndrome, so on, the cause is almost always "unknown" and I can't understand why, after all the research supposedly done, there are so few explanations, or worse, more than one answer.
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Thanks redslipperlady - I don't get it either. I started out the post with saying it was a vent. Did not expect the blow-back like this. Probably will keep my mouth shut and just focus on others' postings.
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: Wisconsin, USA
Posts: 16,945
Originally Posted by ArtFriend
Just a vent here...
I have been digging into the scientific literature about addiction. Many views, theories etc. But not ONE answer! It just angers me. They (the doctors, scientists, etc. ) know how to treat so many other illnesses. Yet, addiction remains a mystery. Is it biological? Is is psychological? Is it social? Is it all the above?
I am angry because it causes so much pain in people's lives, including my own.
I have been digging into the scientific literature about addiction. Many views, theories etc. But not ONE answer! It just angers me. They (the doctors, scientists, etc. ) know how to treat so many other illnesses. Yet, addiction remains a mystery. Is it biological? Is is psychological? Is it social? Is it all the above?
I am angry because it causes so much pain in people's lives, including my own.
It may anger you but it's part of life that we will most likely never know the answers to everything. That's why acceptance of addiction is of vital importance to me. There may very well be a pill, a surgery or a foolproof therapy that can "cure" the addictive brain someday. But for today, for me, acceptance works -it is 100% affective against my addiction and allows me to live a very full life without alcohol.
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Originally Posted by ScottFromWI
There are a lot of things science does not have answers to. Alzheimers, many forms of cancer, viruses, autism, parkinsons and other neurological diseases, allergies, the list goes on and on.
It may anger you but it's part of life that we will most likely never know the answers to everything. That's why acceptance of addiction is of vital importance to me. There may very well be a pill, a surgery or a foolproof therapy that can "cure" the addictive brain someday. But for today, for me, acceptance works -it is 100% affective against my addiction and allows me to live a very full life without alcohol.
It may anger you but it's part of life that we will most likely never know the answers to everything. That's why acceptance of addiction is of vital importance to me. There may very well be a pill, a surgery or a foolproof therapy that can "cure" the addictive brain someday. But for today, for me, acceptance works -it is 100% affective against my addiction and allows me to live a very full life without alcohol.
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 10,912
I am sorry if I went too far. I think I've done this recently a few times here when it was unwelcome and probably inaccurate, so I will think more in the future. Completely agree that it's impossible to discern complex information accurately from an online message board. I also always know that I should not get into discussions on science here, or using what I subjectively perceive scientific approach, to target other people... well, it's good that someone gives me a direct heads up. Thanks for this and I hope you feel better soon.
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: Wisconsin, USA
Posts: 16,945
Originally Posted by ArtFriend
Good for you Scott
Sometimes I try to equate my relationship with alcohol with my 2 children's nut allergies. There is no reason why they shouldn't be able to eat nuts that any doctor or researcher can tell me, but if they do they get very, very sick. I do follow some of the research on allergies as they have made some progress, but nothing substantial. In the meantime, we just accept that they can't eat nuts and plan appropriately. It is a lot of work as we have to read labels on everything we buy, make special accommodations if they are going to parties or sleepovers or other trips. We carry epi-pens and have them at their school and instruct parent how to use them if necessary. It's all kind of the equivalent of a "sobriety" plan, but for an allergy. And just like addiction, there is no cure or "reason" why they have the affliction - the simply DO. It's not fair and we don't like it one bit, but what is our other choice?
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: canada
Posts: 7,242
Many views, theories etc. But not ONE answer! It just angers me.
AF,
this makes me wonder how ONE answer might be helpful to you.
if "they" finally found one answer/cause, how would it make life now different for you?
AF,
this makes me wonder how ONE answer might be helpful to you.
if "they" finally found one answer/cause, how would it make life now different for you?
Trudgin
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 6,348
Originally Posted by JoeCree
I'm of the same thought process as you. I can't just sit back and say, "one day at a time" for the rest of my life without knowing "why" I'm approaching it in this way. Here at SR, there are members from all different walks of life so it is impossible to have a one size fits all therapy. When I question the science behind our brains, the data (which may give more insight) it makes me feel stronger to assess where my weaknesses are and prepare accordingly. This probably is why I cannot accept to just throw in the towel and leave it to a "higher power" to take care of me. I have to take care of myself, and the more I know the easier it becomes.
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: USA
Posts: 327
I've had that question before too. The best advice I can give is "let it go". Focus on recovery and not the origins of the disease. Does it really matter how it came to be? And what can any of us do if there is never a CURE? Nothing. We can control our own lives and have a plan for sustainable recovery. Best regards.
EndGame
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 4,677
Hi Artfriend.
Why wouldn't you be angry? I imagine that most of us are or have been angry at some point about what seems to be an incredibly painful and ambiguous condition that destroys lives, and that has far-reaching tentacles which do not fit neatly under a single roof.
The first time I got sober was thirty two years ago, when I came to realize that there was nothing that medical science had to offer to treat my alcoholism. The only "treatment" available was AA. There was no Internet, no SR, no Dr. Google, no worldwide dissemination of medical and other research. You needed to go to the library to learn about alcoholism and, even then, the most informative data was to be found in professional journals which was not readily processed for everyone.
Today, if I want to find out about withdrawals, tolerance or the king of Burma, it takes me a few seconds to retrieve a few million sources. But availability and speed of access to information doesn't make the technology, the technology of the treatment, any more effective as a result.
I've coordinated several large-scale research studies in my life, at least five of which had to do with alcoholism and other addictions, though a person's use of alcohol and other drugs was also a part of other studies in which I was involved. You're venting the frustrations of those of us who've worked in research and in the clinical treatment of those with addictions. Acquiring certainty that a particular method or methods will "work" is like trying to hold sea foam in your hands.
I'll use my research in schizophrenia as an example. There are several subtypes within "the schizophrenias" that are markedly different from each other in their causes and presentations. Even within those subtypes there is a great deal of variation. There is no one type of remedy that is both reliable and effective. Similar to alcoholism, the whole person needs to be treated or needs to effect significant changes in his or her life in order to live without an abundance of pain and suffering. Socially, educationally, professionally, and in terms of their families and the social supports they use to heal. And, so far, there is no cure for schizophrenia, though there are many people who are considered to be "in remission."
I understand your frustrations very well. I imagine that your feelings and the feelings that many of us share with you may be an inevitable, perhaps necessary, part of the process. Sort of like stages of grief.
We are all in a confounding and destructive predicament, so wanting solutions and getting to a better place is entirely natural. Very often anger fuels that enterprise.
Why wouldn't you be angry? I imagine that most of us are or have been angry at some point about what seems to be an incredibly painful and ambiguous condition that destroys lives, and that has far-reaching tentacles which do not fit neatly under a single roof.
The first time I got sober was thirty two years ago, when I came to realize that there was nothing that medical science had to offer to treat my alcoholism. The only "treatment" available was AA. There was no Internet, no SR, no Dr. Google, no worldwide dissemination of medical and other research. You needed to go to the library to learn about alcoholism and, even then, the most informative data was to be found in professional journals which was not readily processed for everyone.
Today, if I want to find out about withdrawals, tolerance or the king of Burma, it takes me a few seconds to retrieve a few million sources. But availability and speed of access to information doesn't make the technology, the technology of the treatment, any more effective as a result.
I've coordinated several large-scale research studies in my life, at least five of which had to do with alcoholism and other addictions, though a person's use of alcohol and other drugs was also a part of other studies in which I was involved. You're venting the frustrations of those of us who've worked in research and in the clinical treatment of those with addictions. Acquiring certainty that a particular method or methods will "work" is like trying to hold sea foam in your hands.
I'll use my research in schizophrenia as an example. There are several subtypes within "the schizophrenias" that are markedly different from each other in their causes and presentations. Even within those subtypes there is a great deal of variation. There is no one type of remedy that is both reliable and effective. Similar to alcoholism, the whole person needs to be treated or needs to effect significant changes in his or her life in order to live without an abundance of pain and suffering. Socially, educationally, professionally, and in terms of their families and the social supports they use to heal. And, so far, there is no cure for schizophrenia, though there are many people who are considered to be "in remission."
I understand your frustrations very well. I imagine that your feelings and the feelings that many of us share with you may be an inevitable, perhaps necessary, part of the process. Sort of like stages of grief.
We are all in a confounding and destructive predicament, so wanting solutions and getting to a better place is entirely natural. Very often anger fuels that enterprise.
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 2,805
One of the biggest inspirations for my sobriety is my great-grandmother. I never knew her as a drinker, but there were so many stories. Stories of the kids (my grandmother and her siblings) having to pull both parents out of bars on payday, big drunken family rows, etc. etc. My only recollection of her in respects to alcohol was that she was so careful that none of her drinks had alcohol in them that she sometimes had someone else taste them first. She never talked about alcoholism or sobriety and the rest of the family knocked their alcoholic drinks down around her while she stayed sober for the over 20 years that I knew her before she passed on.
The reason that she is such an inspiration to me is that something inside of her must have clicked and said to her that she could no longer drink alcohol and live the way that she wanted to live. She was an undereducated German immigrant of modest means. I know that she did not read books, she did not know the science of anything, let alone the science of alcoholism, she did not go to AA, and she did not go to expensive rehabs. (there is no way that they could have afforded them) She just picked herself up by her bootstraps and lived in faith and in God that she could live the rest of her life in a good, healthy sober way and she did. When I find my AV tempting me I always think of her and I think, if she could do it, how could I possibly not do it??
I got a lot of flack on SR when I posted this a previous time, but frankly, I don't care. This dear woman will always be an inspiration to my sobriety more than probably anything else.
The reason that she is such an inspiration to me is that something inside of her must have clicked and said to her that she could no longer drink alcohol and live the way that she wanted to live. She was an undereducated German immigrant of modest means. I know that she did not read books, she did not know the science of anything, let alone the science of alcoholism, she did not go to AA, and she did not go to expensive rehabs. (there is no way that they could have afforded them) She just picked herself up by her bootstraps and lived in faith and in God that she could live the rest of her life in a good, healthy sober way and she did. When I find my AV tempting me I always think of her and I think, if she could do it, how could I possibly not do it??
I got a lot of flack on SR when I posted this a previous time, but frankly, I don't care. This dear woman will always be an inspiration to my sobriety more than probably anything else.
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Originally Posted by EndGameNYC
Hi Artfriend.
Why wouldn't you be angry? I imagine that most of us are or have been angry at some point about what seems to be an incredibly painful and ambiguous condition that destroys lives, and that has far-reaching tentacles which do not fit neatly under a single roof.
The first time I got sober was thirty two years ago, when I came to realize that there was nothing that medical science had to offer to treat my alcoholism. The only "treatment" available was AA. There was no Internet, no SR, no Dr. Google, no worldwide dissemination of medical and other research. You needed to go to the library to learn about alcoholism and, even then, the most informative data was to be found in professional journals which was not readily processed for everyone.
Today, if I want to find out about withdrawals, tolerance or the king of Burma, it takes me a few seconds to retrieve a few million sources. But availability and speed of access to information doesn't make the technology, the technology of the treatment, any more effective as a result.
I've coordinated several large-scale research studies in my life, at least five of which had to do with alcoholism and other addictions, though a person's use of alcohol and other drugs was also a part of other studies in which I was involved. You're venting the frustrations of those of us who've worked in research and in the clinical treatment of those with addictions. Acquiring certainty that a particular method or methods will "work" is like trying to hold sea foam in your hands.
I'll use my research in schizophrenia as an example. There are several subtypes within "the schizophrenias" that are markedly different from each other in their causes and presentations. Even within those subtypes there is a great deal of variation. There is no one type of remedy that is both reliable and effective. Similar to alcoholism, the whole person needs to be treated or needs to effect significant changes in his or her life in order to live without an abundance of pain and suffering. Socially, educationally, professionally, and in terms of their families and the social supports they use to heal. And, so far, there is no cure for schizophrenia, though there are many people who are considered to be "in remission."
I understand your frustrations very well. I imagine that your feelings and the feelings that many of us share with you may be an inevitable, perhaps necessary, part of the process. Sort of like stages of grief.
We are all in a confounding and destructive predicament, so wanting solutions and getting to a better place is entirely natural. Very often anger fuels that enterprise.
Why wouldn't you be angry? I imagine that most of us are or have been angry at some point about what seems to be an incredibly painful and ambiguous condition that destroys lives, and that has far-reaching tentacles which do not fit neatly under a single roof.
The first time I got sober was thirty two years ago, when I came to realize that there was nothing that medical science had to offer to treat my alcoholism. The only "treatment" available was AA. There was no Internet, no SR, no Dr. Google, no worldwide dissemination of medical and other research. You needed to go to the library to learn about alcoholism and, even then, the most informative data was to be found in professional journals which was not readily processed for everyone.
Today, if I want to find out about withdrawals, tolerance or the king of Burma, it takes me a few seconds to retrieve a few million sources. But availability and speed of access to information doesn't make the technology, the technology of the treatment, any more effective as a result.
I've coordinated several large-scale research studies in my life, at least five of which had to do with alcoholism and other addictions, though a person's use of alcohol and other drugs was also a part of other studies in which I was involved. You're venting the frustrations of those of us who've worked in research and in the clinical treatment of those with addictions. Acquiring certainty that a particular method or methods will "work" is like trying to hold sea foam in your hands.
I'll use my research in schizophrenia as an example. There are several subtypes within "the schizophrenias" that are markedly different from each other in their causes and presentations. Even within those subtypes there is a great deal of variation. There is no one type of remedy that is both reliable and effective. Similar to alcoholism, the whole person needs to be treated or needs to effect significant changes in his or her life in order to live without an abundance of pain and suffering. Socially, educationally, professionally, and in terms of their families and the social supports they use to heal. And, so far, there is no cure for schizophrenia, though there are many people who are considered to be "in remission."
I understand your frustrations very well. I imagine that your feelings and the feelings that many of us share with you may be an inevitable, perhaps necessary, part of the process. Sort of like stages of grief.
We are all in a confounding and destructive predicament, so wanting solutions and getting to a better place is entirely natural. Very often anger fuels that enterprise.
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Originally Posted by DoubleDragons
One of the biggest inspirations for my sobriety is my great-grandmother. I never knew her as a drinker, but there were so many stories. Stories of the kids (my grandmother and her siblings) having to pull both parents out of bars on payday, big drunken family rows, etc. etc. My only recollection of her in respects to alcohol was that she was so careful that none of her drinks had alcohol in them that she sometimes had someone else taste them first. She never talked about alcoholism or sobriety and the rest of the family knocked their alcoholic drinks down around her while she stayed sober for the over 20 years that I knew her before she passed on.
The reason that she is such an inspiration to me is that something inside of her must have clicked and said to her that she could no longer drink alcohol and live the way that she wanted to live. She was an undereducated German immigrant of modest means. I know that she did not read books, she did not know the science of anything, let alone the science of alcoholism, she did not go to AA, and she did not go to expensive rehabs. (there is no way that they could have afforded them) She just picked herself up by her bootstraps and lived in faith and in God that she could live the rest of her life in a good, healthy sober way and she did. When I find my AV tempting me I always think of her and I think, if she could do it, how could I possibly not do it??
I got a lot of flack on SR when I posted this a previous time, but frankly, I don't care. This dear woman will always be an inspiration to my sobriety more than probably anything else.
The reason that she is such an inspiration to me is that something inside of her must have clicked and said to her that she could no longer drink alcohol and live the way that she wanted to live. She was an undereducated German immigrant of modest means. I know that she did not read books, she did not know the science of anything, let alone the science of alcoholism, she did not go to AA, and she did not go to expensive rehabs. (there is no way that they could have afforded them) She just picked herself up by her bootstraps and lived in faith and in God that she could live the rest of her life in a good, healthy sober way and she did. When I find my AV tempting me I always think of her and I think, if she could do it, how could I possibly not do it??
I got a lot of flack on SR when I posted this a previous time, but frankly, I don't care. This dear woman will always be an inspiration to my sobriety more than probably anything else.
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Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Dallas, Texas
Posts: 2,459
Originally Posted by ScottFromWI
I'm simply sharing my personal experience. I am a very logical/scientific person myself. My "research" of many years ( decades really ) of drinking and attempting to control it let me to the logical conclusion that I simply cannot drink anymore, even though there was no worldly reason why. And I am not talking about "acceptance" in a religious or even a spiritual kind of way - it simply IS.
Sometimes I try to equate my relationship with alcohol with my 2 children's nut allergies. There is no reason why they shouldn't be able to eat nuts that any doctor or researcher can tell me, but if they do they get very, very sick. I do follow some of the research on allergies as they have made some progress, but nothing substantial. In the meantime, we just accept that they can't eat nuts and plan appropriately. It is a lot of work as we have to read labels on everything we buy, make special accommodations if they are going to parties or sleepovers or other trips. We carry epi-pens and have them at their school and instruct parent how to use them if necessary. It's all kind of the equivalent of a "sobriety" plan, but for an allergy. And just like addiction, there is no cure or "reason" why they have the affliction - the simply DO. It's not fair and we don't like it one bit, but what is our other choice?
Sometimes I try to equate my relationship with alcohol with my 2 children's nut allergies. There is no reason why they shouldn't be able to eat nuts that any doctor or researcher can tell me, but if they do they get very, very sick. I do follow some of the research on allergies as they have made some progress, but nothing substantial. In the meantime, we just accept that they can't eat nuts and plan appropriately. It is a lot of work as we have to read labels on everything we buy, make special accommodations if they are going to parties or sleepovers or other trips. We carry epi-pens and have them at their school and instruct parent how to use them if necessary. It's all kind of the equivalent of a "sobriety" plan, but for an allergy. And just like addiction, there is no cure or "reason" why they have the affliction - the simply DO. It's not fair and we don't like it one bit, but what is our other choice?
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 2,805
Why did I get flack? I am not sure. A lot of members made references to "white knuckling it", but that was not my experience of my great grandmother. As a whole, society had more means and more education and more information than we ever have and I am happy and grateful for the tools that have been afforded to me in my recovery, particularly for SR. (shout out, SR!! 
) I am certainly not knocking the strides in recovery research.
That being said, I think people get caught up in the idea that their way to recovery is the only way or they feel a little insecure when they perceive others as having an easier time in sobriety. (well, you're probably not a REAL alcoholic ~ you know, that load of crap)
) I am certainly not knocking the strides in recovery research.That being said, I think people get caught up in the idea that their way to recovery is the only way or they feel a little insecure when they perceive others as having an easier time in sobriety. (well, you're probably not a REAL alcoholic ~ you know, that load of crap)
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I hear you DoubleDragons. Insecurity makes people leary of trying to absorb new ideas. Too scary I think for them. We are all after the same goal of recovery...many paths can lead us there.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: New England
Posts: 1,926
HERE ARE SOME ANSWERS I FOUND. I understand how you feel by the way...I just want a F-ing answer so I can be CURED! This will never happen, sadly. Acceptance that I have a disease that can only be cured by abstinence is my only option. There is always death too but I don't like that option. Hang in there. Let me know if any of the info I posted below helps you.
Alcoholics make up about 12% of the population. The body of the alcoholic is physically different. The liver and pancreas of the alcoholic process alcohol at one-third to one-tenth the rate of a normal pancreas and liver. Now as alcohol enters the body, it breaks down into various components, one of which is acetate. We know now that acetate triggers a craving for more acetate. In a normal drinker, the acetate moves through the system quickly and exits. But that doesn't happen in an alcoholic. In alcoholics, the acetate of the first drink is barely processed out, so by staying in their body, it triggers a craving for more acetate. The alcoholic then has a second drink, now adding to most of the acetate of the first drink, and that makes them want a drink twice as much as the normal drinker. So they have another. Then, having almost three times the craving as a normal drinker, they have another.
You can see from that point how alcoholics have no control over how much they drink. The craving cycle has begun and they have no choice but to keep drinking. Once the acetate accumulates in their body, and that begins to happen with only ONE drink, they will crave another. And how many times does an alcoholic think it would be nice to have JUST ONE drink to relax, but has many more? Now you see why. AND THIS CAN NEVER CHANGE!
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Have you ever wondered why it is that you cannot stop drinking? If you are like me you probably came up with some theories of you own. I thought my main problem was lack of will power. Actually I had plenty of will power, for most of my drinking career I held down a full-time job despite feeling ill most days - this took incredible will power.
I also thought that I was weak, stupid or bad, depending on my mood. When I came to AA I was told that I suffered from an illness. At first I didn't buy this, I thought these people were just trying to justify their drinking. Then I was introduced to the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous where I discovered A Doctor's Opinion of alcoholism.
The Doctor's opinion is that we have a physical allergy to alcohol:
"We believe, and so suggested a few years ago, that the action of alcohol on these chronic alcoholics is a manifestation of an allergy; that the phenomenon of craving is limited to this class and never occurs in the average temperate drinker. These allergic types can never safely use alcohol in any form at all; and once having formed the habit and found they cannot break it, once having lost their self-confidence, their reliance upon things human, their problems pile up on them and become astonishingly difficult to solve."
The definition for the word "allergy" is, "Excess sensitiveness to certain substances which are harmless to most persons."
Alcohol is a poison. The normal reaction to alcohol is to have one or two drinks and not go any further. But, our reaction is very different. We have one or two drinks just to get started. Once an alcoholic starts drinking, because of the unique way it's processed in our body, we set off a craving for more alcohol. This is an allergy or abnormal reaction to alcohol because about nine out of ten people don't get that once they start drinking. So an alcoholic cannot always predict how much they are going to drink, and a non-alcoholic can always predict how much they are going to drink.
When the Doctor's Opinion was written in the 1930's it was just an opinion. Medical science has progressed since then and has confirmed this opinion as fact.
(The physiological explanation brought here is not part of the book "Alcoholics Anonymous" or the AA program)
It has been discovered that the metabolism of an alcoholic differs from that of a normal person. Ethanol alcohol is broken down in the body by the following process:
ETHANOL
enzymes convert the ethanol into
ACETALDEHYDE
enzymes convert acetaldehyde into
DIACETIC ACID
enzymes convert diacetic acid into
AN ACETATE
more enzymes convert the acetate into
WATER & CARBON DIOXIDE & SUGAR
The water is expelled from the body through the urinary tract, the carbon dioxide through the respiratory system and the sugar is burned up through physical exercise (or turned into fat).
If a person is not an alcoholic, they can normally successfully drink approximately one ounce of alcohol per hour without getting drunk. Not so with the alcoholic. The chemical decomposition of the ethanol through the alcoholic’s body follows the same process until it reaches the acetate compound and then the liver and pancreas fail to produce sufficient enzymes to complete the decomposition process. The acetate produces the craving that deprives the alcoholic of the ability to control the amount they drink. The craving exceeds the alcoholic’s will power to stop once they have commenced to drink.
Furthermore this is a progressive illness. The craving for alcohol will be greater after the 10th drink than it was with the first. As our drinking progresses, the alcohol attacks the liver and pancreas which produce the enzymes which break down the alcohol. Hence even more acetates stay in our bodies and the craving increases.
If you are an alcoholic who still harbours the idea that your drinking will get better forget it, you have a progressive illness.
If we just suffered from a physical allergy then all you would have to do would be to read this article and a light bulb would come on in your brain and you'd never drink again. With most allergies this is probably the case. I'm sure if I discovered that I was allergic to nuts and that eating them would kill me I'd stop eating them.
With alcohol it's not so simple because as well as having a physical allergy to alcohol we have a mental obsession which tells us to pick up the first drink. Therefore our main problem centre's in our mind.
In our mind alcohol is not our problem it's the solution to our problems. At some stage in our lives alcohol made it easier to cope with life. Our mind stores up this information and when we come across a situation that we can't handle it tells us that having a drink will solve the problem, even though hundred's or thousands of previous experiences should tell us the opposite. When we talk about insanity in Alcoholics Anonymous this is what we mean.
The Doctor's Opinion puts it this way:
"Men and women drink essentially because they like the effect produced by alcohol. The sensation is so elusive that, while they admit it is injurious, they cannot after a time differentiate the true from the false. To them, their alcoholic life seems the only normal one. They are restless, irritable and discontented, unless they can again experience the sense of ease and comfort which comes at once by taking a few drinks - drinks which they see others taking with impunity (which means freedom from problems). After they have succumbed to the desire again, as so many do, and the phenomenon of craving develops, they pass through the well-known stages of a spree, emerging remorseful, with a firm resolution not to drink again. This is repeated over and over, and unless this person can experience an entire psychic change there is very little hope of his recovery."
Alcoholics make up about 12% of the population. The body of the alcoholic is physically different. The liver and pancreas of the alcoholic process alcohol at one-third to one-tenth the rate of a normal pancreas and liver. Now as alcohol enters the body, it breaks down into various components, one of which is acetate. We know now that acetate triggers a craving for more acetate. In a normal drinker, the acetate moves through the system quickly and exits. But that doesn't happen in an alcoholic. In alcoholics, the acetate of the first drink is barely processed out, so by staying in their body, it triggers a craving for more acetate. The alcoholic then has a second drink, now adding to most of the acetate of the first drink, and that makes them want a drink twice as much as the normal drinker. So they have another. Then, having almost three times the craving as a normal drinker, they have another.
You can see from that point how alcoholics have no control over how much they drink. The craving cycle has begun and they have no choice but to keep drinking. Once the acetate accumulates in their body, and that begins to happen with only ONE drink, they will crave another. And how many times does an alcoholic think it would be nice to have JUST ONE drink to relax, but has many more? Now you see why. AND THIS CAN NEVER CHANGE!
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Have you ever wondered why it is that you cannot stop drinking? If you are like me you probably came up with some theories of you own. I thought my main problem was lack of will power. Actually I had plenty of will power, for most of my drinking career I held down a full-time job despite feeling ill most days - this took incredible will power.
I also thought that I was weak, stupid or bad, depending on my mood. When I came to AA I was told that I suffered from an illness. At first I didn't buy this, I thought these people were just trying to justify their drinking. Then I was introduced to the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous where I discovered A Doctor's Opinion of alcoholism.
The Doctor's opinion is that we have a physical allergy to alcohol:
"We believe, and so suggested a few years ago, that the action of alcohol on these chronic alcoholics is a manifestation of an allergy; that the phenomenon of craving is limited to this class and never occurs in the average temperate drinker. These allergic types can never safely use alcohol in any form at all; and once having formed the habit and found they cannot break it, once having lost their self-confidence, their reliance upon things human, their problems pile up on them and become astonishingly difficult to solve."
The definition for the word "allergy" is, "Excess sensitiveness to certain substances which are harmless to most persons."
Alcohol is a poison. The normal reaction to alcohol is to have one or two drinks and not go any further. But, our reaction is very different. We have one or two drinks just to get started. Once an alcoholic starts drinking, because of the unique way it's processed in our body, we set off a craving for more alcohol. This is an allergy or abnormal reaction to alcohol because about nine out of ten people don't get that once they start drinking. So an alcoholic cannot always predict how much they are going to drink, and a non-alcoholic can always predict how much they are going to drink.
When the Doctor's Opinion was written in the 1930's it was just an opinion. Medical science has progressed since then and has confirmed this opinion as fact.
(The physiological explanation brought here is not part of the book "Alcoholics Anonymous" or the AA program)
It has been discovered that the metabolism of an alcoholic differs from that of a normal person. Ethanol alcohol is broken down in the body by the following process:
ETHANOL
enzymes convert the ethanol into
ACETALDEHYDE
enzymes convert acetaldehyde into
DIACETIC ACID
enzymes convert diacetic acid into
AN ACETATE
more enzymes convert the acetate into
WATER & CARBON DIOXIDE & SUGAR
The water is expelled from the body through the urinary tract, the carbon dioxide through the respiratory system and the sugar is burned up through physical exercise (or turned into fat).
If a person is not an alcoholic, they can normally successfully drink approximately one ounce of alcohol per hour without getting drunk. Not so with the alcoholic. The chemical decomposition of the ethanol through the alcoholic’s body follows the same process until it reaches the acetate compound and then the liver and pancreas fail to produce sufficient enzymes to complete the decomposition process. The acetate produces the craving that deprives the alcoholic of the ability to control the amount they drink. The craving exceeds the alcoholic’s will power to stop once they have commenced to drink.
Furthermore this is a progressive illness. The craving for alcohol will be greater after the 10th drink than it was with the first. As our drinking progresses, the alcohol attacks the liver and pancreas which produce the enzymes which break down the alcohol. Hence even more acetates stay in our bodies and the craving increases.
If you are an alcoholic who still harbours the idea that your drinking will get better forget it, you have a progressive illness.
If we just suffered from a physical allergy then all you would have to do would be to read this article and a light bulb would come on in your brain and you'd never drink again. With most allergies this is probably the case. I'm sure if I discovered that I was allergic to nuts and that eating them would kill me I'd stop eating them.
With alcohol it's not so simple because as well as having a physical allergy to alcohol we have a mental obsession which tells us to pick up the first drink. Therefore our main problem centre's in our mind.
In our mind alcohol is not our problem it's the solution to our problems. At some stage in our lives alcohol made it easier to cope with life. Our mind stores up this information and when we come across a situation that we can't handle it tells us that having a drink will solve the problem, even though hundred's or thousands of previous experiences should tell us the opposite. When we talk about insanity in Alcoholics Anonymous this is what we mean.
The Doctor's Opinion puts it this way:
"Men and women drink essentially because they like the effect produced by alcohol. The sensation is so elusive that, while they admit it is injurious, they cannot after a time differentiate the true from the false. To them, their alcoholic life seems the only normal one. They are restless, irritable and discontented, unless they can again experience the sense of ease and comfort which comes at once by taking a few drinks - drinks which they see others taking with impunity (which means freedom from problems). After they have succumbed to the desire again, as so many do, and the phenomenon of craving develops, they pass through the well-known stages of a spree, emerging remorseful, with a firm resolution not to drink again. This is repeated over and over, and unless this person can experience an entire psychic change there is very little hope of his recovery."
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