Alcoholism...... Disease or Behavior Choice?

[GNBRETT]

Is Alcoholism a disease or a behavior choice?

 

[RatFink]

Choice.

 

[rmar]

Starts of as one(choice) and ends at the other(disease).....:frown:

 

[WLDWST]

I believe that Alcoholism is a trap that some people fall into. These are people with an addictive personality. Drinking heavily at some point in your life won't necessarily mean you are or will be an alcoholic. I think it is just in you. I had a brother that died at the age of 42 from it. He literally drank himself to death after returning form the military. Yes ,I believe it is a sickness that strikes a certain personality group. Whether it's a choice after a certain amount of dependancy is debatable. Just my opinion anyway.

 

[GNBRETT]

I have mixed feelings on this subject. It came up the other day and we had a heated debate at work as to it being classified as a Disease by the ADA.

We have had a few Officers come back with dirty urine from drug tests since the drug testing policy went into effect a few months ago and it sparked quite a difference in opinion.

Of couse Alcohol is a legal drug and we are not testing for Alcohol but several have failed due to Positive Opiate tests. The strange thing is one of the guys is a Detective and a dam good one.

I don't personally drink at ALL so I guess I am a little biased in my opinions but trying to keep an open mind. My mother doesnt drink, my father doesn't drink and my sister doesn't drink. It does appear that the few friends I have that consume too much alcohol also have parents that consume too much alcohol.

So I can see the genitic link but have an issue with labeling it a "Disease" per say.

"Lyme Disease, Cancer, HIV, Diabetes, etc...." are what I consider to be diseases. Either you have contracted it or you were born with it. Your not born an alcoholic nor did you contract it from anywhere.

There does seem to be a perpensity from some to consume copious amounts of alcohol when they are younger and simply continue to crave it. Others can do the same and have little or no desire to continue.

Personally, I was an angry mean drunk when I drank in High School. Basically I was an azzhole. Therefore, I simply decided not to drink anymore. Seemed logical to me.

There are plenty of people who made the SAME decision after many years of drinking resulting in DUI's, DV arrests for beating their wives or children, loosing their jobs, etc.... Again, many have simply decided that the consumption of alcohol is not condusive to improving their life style and therefore QUIT. May be easier for some then others. I will not dispute that. But you can QUIT and many do. No one QUITS Cancer....! Again, I simply have an issue with how it is defined by the ADA.

Addiction for some? Yes, obviously! Many are addicted to Opiates as well. I don't see the ADA labeling that a disease. Many QUIT Opiates as well. The addictive personality defense does not sell me. CHOOSING not to excerise Will power does tho.

 

[fitz3820]

Touchy subject for sure. For some, they use the "disease" as a crutch or that "my parents did it" as an excuse to not have any control. Some people can stop cold turkey - some can't.

I guess it it easy for me to say as I have never been addicted to anything...

 

[CST 03]

Starts of as one(choice) and ends at the other(disease).....:frown:

Pretty much how I feel about it too. It is an individuals choice to put the bottle to there mouth. Nobody puts it there for them and makes them drink. Then once they get addickted they can't seem to stop and become an addick.

 

[Bweavy]

Read the definition of Alcoholic. I think there are alot more "normal" people that fit the definition of alcoholic. You can drink 5 times a year & be considered an alcoholic.

Then once you believe or disbelieve the definition that may help make your decision. Me personally I always defined an alcoholic as a person who couln't function with out the use of alcohol or it prevents you from carrying on a normal life. Example missing work.

Then you'll have the term functioning alcoholic. I do believe when a person can no longer function in society they have become an alcoholic. An alcoholic in my opinion has a disease. Wether it being inherited disease or by choice of excessive drinking.

No different then a smoker who gets lung cancer. He doesn't have a smoking disease he gets the disease by smoking & making that choice or addicted.
Then again that is also argued.

 

[Pronto]

My father-in-law is a perfect example of a working alcoholic. He never missed work or failed to bring home money. They had a nice house and car, went on vacations all over the world then one day he came home so blitz he didn't recognize his wife and held a kitchen knife to her throat for hours until he passed out. She called the cops and he ended up in rehab. He was drinking 3 5ths of vodka and a case of beer every 3 days. His doctor gave him 3 months to live. He'd start his day with a slug of vodka from a paint can he kept in the basement when he went down in the morning to "polish his shoes". After the insident and rehab he finally quit and became involved in AA meetings. He was very faithful to them until he got much older but stayed sober. As much as you think it's a choice, maybe at first it is but there is something inside that clicks and drinking changes from a habit or social thing to being a disease. It's ruined many lives.

 

[GNTIM]

Starts of as one(choice) and ends at the other(disease).....:frown:

x2
It killed my parents marriage. My dad started drinking heavy after he and a friend crashed a small plane and his friend died as a result. He has been sober for 20+ years, too late to save the marriage. His parents rarely drank, but there is a thing called "skip down generation", meaning his grandparents drank a lot. Germans like the brew ya know. It's killed a few friends of mine, or they let it kill them.

 

[no-nos]

I love the sneak peak Brett it loos great!

as far as the drinking goes i feel it's a choice, most of my friends are casual drinkers ( mostly holidays ) but while in the service I have seen soldiers who can't take or don't know how to deal with the loss of a fallen soldier, Grief can lead a man to drinking.

 

[toofastforyou]

DISEASE. It begins as a behavior choice, but unfortunately, it often transforms into a disease (addiction) for which there is no "real" cure...

Claude.

 

[pdzz]

I quit drinking about 5 years ago. I always paid the bills, never beat the wife or kids, never drank while at work. But, I couldn't just have a couple of beers. I finished the 12 pack or the case, or the half of bottle of Jack. I knew I had a problem, but didn't know quite how to deal with it. I started drinking around 16-17 years old, took to it naturally, my old man was a drunk. I always said I have the Irish curse, and the only thing my old man ever gave me was his drinking habit and bladder!!! I believe it's an addiction. I quit on my own, with some threats from my wife. That's another story... On the bright side, I spend a ton more money on my new drug, drag racing !!!! You gotta have some kind of release!!
It was the second toughest thing I ever did next to quitting smoking. I don't preach to others, and I don't have alot of my old friends anymore. But, no more high blood pressure, down 30 lbs. STILL, and the Ghost should be in the nine's real soon!!!:biggrin: Phil.

 

[tom j]

This has been a debate in my family for years. I have lost one grandparent to it and both of my parents and I'm only 32. Through those years I have sat in many meetings with them while in rehab. I found that most of the social workers would try to ram down your(sober family) throat that it's a disease. I would explain to them that how DARE they classify these drunks to people who didn't have a choice like cancer, MS, diabetes, ect... They would also say that it's genetic, I have 4 siblings and we only drink socially. So if that was the case you would think one of us would be a drunk. I really think that in todays society that everything has to have a label on it. CHOICE!

 

[rafael vasquez]

DISEASE

i diden't want to belive it,, but at this point in my life i can't aford not too belive
3 rehabs
and know just came up on 4years it a power greater than me doint it..

life is goooood

 

[Dr.drivability]

I have mixed feelings on this subject. It came up the other day and we had a heated debate at work as to it being classified as a Disease by the ADA.

We have had a few Officers come back with dirty urine from drug tests since the drug testing policy went into effect a few months ago and it sparked quite a difference in opinion.

Of couse Alcohol is a legal drug and we are not testing for Alcohol but several have failed due to Positive Opiate tests. The strange thing is one of the guys is a Detective and a dam good one.

I don't personally drink at ALL so I guess I am a little biased in my opinions but trying to keep an open mind. My mother doesnt drink, my father doesn't drink and my sister doesn't drink. It does appear that the few friends I have that consume too much alcohol also have parents that consume too much alcohol.

So I can see the genitic link but have an issue with labeling it a "Disease" per say.

"Lyme Disease, Cancer, HIV, Diabetes, etc...." are what I consider to be diseases. Either you have contracted it or you were born with it. Your not born an alcoholic nor did you contract it from anywhere.

There does seem to be a perpensity from some to consume copious amounts of alcohol when they are younger and simply continue to crave it. Others can do the same and have little or no desire to continue.

Personally, I was an angry mean drunk when I drank in High School. Basically I was an azzhole. Therefore, I simply decided not to drink anymore. Seemed logical to me.

There are plenty of people who made the SAME decision after many years of drinking resulting in DUI's, DV arrests for beating their wives or children, loosing their jobs, etc.... Again, many have simply decided that the consumption of alcohol is not condusive to improving their life style and therefore QUIT. May be easier for some then others. I will not dispute that. But you can QUIT and many do. No one QUITS Cancer....! Again, I simply have an issue with how it is defined by the ADA.

Addiction for some? Yes, obviously! Many are addicted to Opiates as well. I don't see the ADA labeling that a disease. Many QUIT Opiates as well. The addictive personality defense does not sell me. CHOOSING not to excerise Will power does tho.

Listen, try a failed marage lost job and like to drink anyway=bad situation!!! Yes, it starts as a choice, then addiction takes over.

 

[Heavy D]

Nice to see a discussion on here that doesnt turn into a pissing match... This is interesting to say the least. I dont know which way you would define it. I think for some people, its a form of medicine. The alcoholics I know are really suffering from depression. They just use alcohol as a way to deal with it. Some people use food, some spend money, some drugs, and some use alcohol. It's easy to say its a choice if you yourself are not an alcoholic, just like you can look at an overweight person and wonder why they cant control their eating. I guess that would make it a diesease, I dont know. Good topic Brett.

 

[jdpolzin]

I sometimes wonder if I'm an alcoholic? No seriously. I dont drink every night and sometimes dont drink for a few weeks. But, I like to drink. I dont need to get F'ed up but I like to drink and it helps me sleep. But what is the definition of an alcoholic? To be dependent on it. I'm not dependent on it. However, I do drink more than most people. I make the choice to drink and love doing it!

I do know a couple people through my job that drink all the time. They show up smelling like a hangover and go straight to the bar after work. Some of these people have had tragic situations in their lifes that have left them lonely. So they fall into drinking because it a social activity to meet new people. Then they develop friends and drink together. After a while they start to drink at home by themselves. They slowly do it more and more.


I have someone very close to me that has ADD. His medication keeps him up at night so he doesnt lie to take it. He found that drinking hard liquor slows him down some and allows him to sleep. So he drinks heavy pretty much every night. I dont feel he is an alcoholic. He's still an active person and has a great relationship with his GF. She just accepts his behavior because she knows his situation.


I would say it's more of a habit than a disease.

 

[Little6pack]

My father-in-law is a perfect example of a working alcoholic. His doctor gave him 3 months to live. .

WHOA WAS THAT DOC WRONG! Leo KEEPS ON TICKING after all that Drinking!

 

[Dr.drivability]

I sometimes wonder if I'm an alcoholic? No seriously. I dont drink every night and sometimes dont drink for a few weeks. But, I like to drink. I dont need to get F'ed up but I like to drink and it helps me sleep. But what is the definition of an alcoholic? To be dependent on it. I'm not dependent on it. However, I do drink more than most people. I make the choice to drink and love doing it!

I do know a couple people through my job that drink all the time. They show up smelling like a hangover and go straight to the bar after work. Some of these people have had tragic situations in their lifes that have left them lonely. So they fall into drinking because it a social activity to meet new people. Then they develop friends and drink together. After a while they start to drink at home by themselves. They slowly do it more and more.


I have someone very close to me that has ADD. His medication keeps him up at night so he doesnt lie to take it. He found that drinking hard liquor slows him down some and allows him to sleep. So he drinks heavy pretty much every night. I dont feel he is an alcoholic. He's still an active person and has a great relationship with his GF. She just accepts his behavior because she knows his situation.


I would say it's more of a habit than a disease.

I belive it's a disease. I have lost alot in the past!!!