re: Alcoholism: Why Is It A Disease?

I've been to hundreds of AA meetings if not all thousands. I've been to 3 inpatient rehabs and tons more of shrinks. An outpatient for 5 weeks. I've had a sponsor through step 5 and boom, I'm drinking again.

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At the end of the day it is a choice just like any other addiction

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Of course, anything you do is a choice in the sense you are seeking something out with whatever your brain tells you it needs, the issue is most of these people have brains that are shrunken (due to the substance)/damaged/etc. So the likelihood of them making anything remotely close to a logical decision is slim to none, hence they continue on that cycle. Science is finding that after their brains get back to normal size in sobriety, they are much, much more likely to make the right "choices".

It's tragic that some people think people want to be frick ups and addicts. We won't get anywhere with that line of thinking.

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I'm drinking again.

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When it costs you something you really value, you'll quit. As long as you can at least maintain, you'll keep drinking

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You'd think so but the definition of rock bottom is different for each person

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I kept lowering my Standards. But everyone has a threshold. It may take a few adjustments to settle on one but eventually they do. Fora few, that's death unfortunately.

Death didn't scare me as much as the social withdrawal I went through.

B&B, I drink because I like the sensation and I am all or nothing. At 5'0" and 100 lbs. it doesn't take much. I usually drink 2 bottles of wine a night, but have been better lately. As you know, I quit for 2 years because I was going to lose something important. Lately, I have been drinking in relative moderation because my responsibilities at work have increased and having the shakes is embarrassing. Been doing good for the last couple of months. Getting shitfaced was an excuse for stress. I am at least highly functioning these days.
I have no advice. We get to a comfortable equilibrium when we want to.

if I keep drinking beer will I catch it.

Cause diseases are profitable and this is America!

BayouFann - That's a sweet looking white perch/sacalait/crappie in your avatar. Did you catch it? If so, where and how much did it weigh?

A natural assumption would be that the classification of a disease requires that characteristics and symptoms can be measured or observed. While the majority of diseases fit this requirement, substance abuse does not. The contradiction to these requirements lies within the defined nature of "alcoholism." This supposed disease's symptoms are only discovered after the consumption of alcohol. The health risks, dangerous behaviors and repercussions only materialize after the alcohol is consumed and not before. In comparison, the diagnosis for cancer comes after symptoms surface or cancerous cell are discovered. There are physically visible anomalies that can be measured. This measurement does not exist with alcoholics. The majority of time, the diagnoses of alcoholism is a guess, if indeed such a diagnosis actually exists. There is little question that a person exposed to enough carcinogens or radiation will eventually get cancer. With alcohol it is questionable if a person will become a problem drinker if exposed to alcohol. While cancer is a separate entity of its own within the body that first exists without the knowledge of its host, over consumption of alcohol, a substance consumed by choice, is necessary before a diagnosis can be made. That is to say that one must choose to create the condition before the condition can exist and subsequently be diagnosed.

Is sometimes being lazy and not wanting to get up and go to work a disease?

It flairs up sometimes but mostly I am in remission, thank God! It's a miracle!