re: alcholics/addicts do you consider yourself "weak"

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Moderate drinkers have little trouble in giving up liquor entirely if they have good reason for it. They can take it or leave it alone.
20:6Then we have a certain type of hard drinker. He may have the habit badly enough to gradually impair
21:0him physically and mentally. It may cause him to die a few years before his time. If a sufficiently strong reason—ill health, falling in love, change of environment, or the warning of a doctor—becomes operative, this man can also stop or moderate, although he may find it difficult and troublesome and may even need medical attention.
21:1But what about the real alcoholic? He may start off as a moderate drinker; he may or may not become a continuous hard drinker; but at some stage of his drinking career he begins to lose all control of his liquor consumption, once he starts to drink.
21:2Here is the fellow who has been puzzling you, especially in his lack of control. He does absurd, incredible, tragic things while drinking. He is a real Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He is seldom mildly intoxicated. He is always more or less insanely drunk. His disposition while drinking resembles his normal nature but little. He may be one of the finest fellows in the world. Yet let him drink for a day, and he frequently becomes disgustingly, and even dangerously anti-social. He has a positive genius for getting tight at exactly the wrong moment, particularly when some important decision must be made or engagement kept. He is often perfectly sensible and well balanced concerning everything except liquor, but in that respect he is incredibly dishonest and selfish. He often possesses special abilities, skills, and aptitudes, and has a promising career ahead of him. He uses his gifts to build up a bright outlook for his family and himself, and then pulls the structure down on his head by a senseless series of sprees. He is the fellow who goes to bed so intoxicated he ought to sleep the clock around. Yet early next
22:0morning he searches madly for the bottle he misplaced the night before. If he can afford it, he may have liquor concealed all over his house to be certain no one gets his entire supply away from him to throw down the wastepipe. As matters grow worse, he begins to use a combination of high-powered sedative and liquor to quiet his nerves so he can go to work. Then comes the day when he simply cannot make it and gets drunk all over again. Perhaps he goes to a doctor who gives him morphine or some sedative with which to taper off. Then he begins to appear at hospitals and sanitariums.
22:1This is by no means a comprehensive picture of the true alcoholic, as our behavior patterns vary. But this description should identify him roughly.

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Pgs 20 thru 22 AA Big Book

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I lost my son 22 months ago. He was 28. I am, today, so very proud of him, because I witnessed his battles and saw his strength.

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Sorry to hear this. Having a motivated, intelligent seventeen year old who takes care of his business as well it breaks my heart to read these things and bothers me more and more as I get older. I just try to tell him it is better to never pick up the first drink or take the first drug in the first place. Over the long haul, it doesn't add much value to your life. I understand that there is a genertic component and it is harder for some than others.

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Bill W. wrote that, right?

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Yes and no, he wrote it but it was read and revised by a large committee of recovering alcoholics before being published.

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is there a difference between a problem drinker and an alcoholic?

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There can be, yes. A problem drinker isn't necessarily an alcoholic. An alcoholic is always a problem drinker.

I drink alot. I go to work, support my family, and don't think about touching alcohol until i'm off. I don't drink every night but I drink enough to know i'm an alcoholic.

Never have I felt weak or never had anyone told me to stop drinking. If my wife or parents told me I would.

So define weak?

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sorry, I'm just not somebody who believes in that once an alcoholic always an alcoholic jive.

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If they are truly alcoholic then yes they will always be an alcoholic, can they quit drinking? Yes.


There are many people in the program who are not alcoholics and that's ok, but there are those of us who are truly alcoholic and it's progressive and fatal, and if we return to drinking it gets worse never better.


If you really want to understand it I suggest reading the AA Big Book, the 1st 164 pages plus the doctor's opinion provide a pretty good description of the spritual malady and the physical problem. The 12 and 12 as well as As Bill Sees It will explain more if you so desire.

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RogerTheShrubber

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appreciate the comments,, much respect for the point of it might be a weakness to fall into addiction but it takes strength it takes to overcome it



its something Ive never really understood, But I see the damage it does.
But youre right about the strength is takes
there are some amazing stories from those that have faced it and kicked its arse

I've shared this before but at one point in my life i had a serious problem with crack cocaine. I mean, I was what you would define as a functional addict, but i was without question an addict.

I could string days, weeks and sometimes a month or 2 together but i'd always go back.


The real change for me came when I went to the doctor and they put me on lexapro. Almost instantly the cravings that I had faded away and I was able to stay clean. Then some one I knew came by my house with like 2 8balls of dope and asked me if i wanted some and i was like.. no lol. I knew then I was gonna be okay.


Will be 7 years July 22nd.


I say that to say, I'm not going to say all, but a LOT of people are self medicating when they are abusing drugs. I was. I didn't want to use but that's the only way i could deal with the depression that I had, and it's got nothing to do about being tough or anything I had a serious cheimcial imbalance that caused me to be depressive and once I found my drug of choice, I used that as medication and I had to have it becuase that's the only way I could feel normal again.



Honestly, if i can be 1000% fricking honest, that's not even the worse addiction I had. Porn addiction literally brought me to my knees. I used to do both at the same time then when I stopped the dope, I rammed up the porn and I would easily masturbate 5-10 times a day. to the point where I was nothing more than a walking zombie with no energy, insomnia, severe depression, mode swings. I never went out, I never did anything, i never talked to anyone, i just masturbated to porn. The crack use, on the days I wasn't high I was pretty fricking normal honestly.


And it's everywhere. it's so easy. No one will know. You can't go to porn jail lol.

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Not to diminish your stuggle, but I've smoked crack once....and didn't see what the fuss was about. Soft is exponentially more pleasing to me.

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you weren't doing it right


Seriously the first.. week.. well probably 3 days I used, i was just using becuasd ethis bad arse girl was with me and she was using and i wanted to frick and i had no fricking clue what i was doing and i was like meh. Then she brought a friend over and was like man you are wasting your shite and showed me how to hit it the right way and then it was game over from that point



But seriously for me it really was about masking the depression, crack, cocaine.. which i enjoy as well lol, produces serotonin which my body was not prouding enough of which is why i was depressed. I didn't so much want the crack I wanted the serotonin.


But like with alcohol.. i like you with crack, don't get it. i always could, even in my addition take it or leave it. Just not my "thing". I mean i drink but i'll have 1-2 and go home and go to bed and wont' drink for another few months