Originally Posted by Laurelindo
Alcoholics aren't in a state of mind where they can "quit at any time", because like I said, they don't even realize that they are alcoholics - and that's one of the first barriers that they need to overcome.
I beg to differ. I would say any alcoholic you come across at least has an idea that they are an alcoholic. Maybe they even joke about being one in some self-deprecating humor in way to make it seem like a less serious matter or something they aren't suffering from. I'm sure there are many alcoholics out there that aren't aware of what they are, but must surely be just as many that know it full well. A size-able portion of those who know may be in denial, but in order to be in denial you know that a problem exists in the first place whether you're willing to admit it or not. Unfortunately for many of those who know, they still aren't willing to even get comfortable with the idea of having to quit, majorly reduce consumption, or get some solid help. Some even use it as another failure of theirs to tally up on the chalkboard, and sink further into depression or at least apathy and social dysfunction (which not already being a symptom of the former, will probably cause the former).
I feel like the topic should be a bit broader though. Alcoholism isn't different than addiction to any other substance. I would even begin to go as far as to say that it comparable to other addictive behaviors given they post enough threat to your physical and mental well being. However, alcohol abuse and substance abuse are pretty much one in the same. Alcohol abuse is merely a more specific form of abuse/addiction.
I definitely agree that it isn't simply a matter of will power. There is literally so much that can cause someone to become addicted or even hopelessly addicted to drugs. Genetics, diseases, disorders, injuries, mental-social-physical health, and socioeconomic status all play very large roles. I may will empathize mostly because I've been addicted to drugs myself, and a lot of it has been my fault. At the same time, I've had two traumatic brain injuries, am a veteran, have two uncles on paternal side with bipolar, and my mother, sister, and all the women on my maternal side of the family suffer from fairly crippling anxiety and go through bouts of serious depression on and off throughout their lives. I'm chock full of hereditary mental illness and the brain injuries enough have caused enough to have a major impact on my life. My usage started out as recreational, and then I found my niche drug class, the dissociatives. It started being where I picked up usage and simply didn't care. Didn't matter if I lived or died anyway, especially when I was in the military. Then it turned into self-medication and just degraded into abhorrent compulsive abuse. If anything I think part of me was trying to disrupt enough of my ability to function as a person at all in society that I was recognized as having a problem by somebody else and coerced and practically forced into seeking help and actually facing my issues instead of running away.
It's a slippery slope, and the only reason I think alcohol deserves any kind of special distinction from the term "drug addiction" is because it is so widely accepted, found everywhere, drank by so many, and so cheap enough to get. I think labeling it as alcoholism rather than simply giving it the designation of drug addiction is unfortunately used by many to make what they suffer from sound less dirty and low. Alcohol is deeply ingrained in cultures world-wide and its ability to generate cash flow earns it a somewhat "softer" sounding designation. Well yeah, an alcoholic has problem, but a drug addict just sounds so much worse. Besides, given alcohol is something socially accepted, it would follow that it would be less likely to be viewed as negatively as "drug addiction" I don't know if I can explain it like I want to, but if other drug classes don't get their own names I don't see why alcohol should (besides my first sentence in this paragraph). If anything it is liable to reduce receiving the proper amount of help or being taken as seriously as it should be. I guess that's all I'm worried about.
Anyway, I definitely agree OP. Although it's definitely a bit foreign to me why we describe it as a disease. Obviously that has no bearing on whether or not someone should just be able to will themselves to quit, but it is misleading and creates dissonance in a situation where there doesn't need to be any. The idea that it's a disease sounds wrong to me, but that wrongness shouldn't affect whether I think people are in control or not. Unfortunately though, a lot of people do that though. It's entirely preventable too.
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