An ex-drinker's search for a sober buzz...

[LWW]

As to the bolded, there is a saying in the recovery field, "if you hang around a barber shop for long enough, you're going to get a haircut."

That is funny being that I've been little over 40 months without a haircut.

[donttread]

I don't buy into alcoholism as a disease, at least not in the purest sense.

Being of high native American blood content, I have seen what the abuse can lead to ... my father was an abuser of alcohol until about age 60 ... but everyday he had the choice to not drink.

I very seldom partake in alcohol because of the many health, safety and legal risks involved in partaking.

Being a staunch libertarian, I am not anything close to banning it. I do favor greatly increasing the penalty for harm ... physical and property ... due to alcohol abuse. I cannot stand the idea of 'CHECKPOINTS' being legal. Their reason to exist is revenue generation.

I do partake in marijuana use now and then. The being in a bar effect doesn't do anything for or to me.

I am an avid league pool player ... I'm not very good, but love to play for money if anyone is ever in town ... and my usual league night is one SAM ADAMS or one shot of APPLE PIE about 15 minutes before my match, and nothing afterwards.

Anything less and it takes a game or two to get settled in. Anything more and my game deteriorates. With that I can shoot lights out.

There is a debate about the disease concept which I believe in but some perhaps many do not. Bottom line for some of us alcohol stimulates it's own taking much like tobacco does for most of it's users. That pretty much automatically causes loss of control and all the rest follows for most until total abstinence is achieved . Also true for most smokers. Disease or not is a side issue to that reality IMO.


As far as banning alcohol I do not support it and to back that up I say that we have made more progress reducing the societal damage from legal drugs like tobacco and alcohol than we have from illegal drugs. Turns out people like to have choices. Who knew? Notice though when we did ban alcohol it took an ammendment. There is no such ammendent for federal drug laws they just assumed the right to make them and no one stood against them.

[Collateral Damage]

I don't buy into alcoholism as a disease, at least not in the purest sense.

Being of high native American blood content, I have seen what the abuse can lead to ... my father was an abuser of alcohol until about age 60 ... but everyday he had the choice to not drink.

I very seldom partake in alcohol because of the many health, safety and legal risks involved in partaking.

Being a staunch libertarian, I am not anything close to banning it. I do favor greatly increasing the penalty for harm ... physical and property ... due to alcohol abuse. I cannot stand the idea of 'CHECKPOINTS' being legal. Their reason to exist is revenue generation.

I do partake in marijuana use now and then. The being in a bar effect doesn't do anything for or to me.

I am an avid league pool player ... I'm not very good, but love to play for money if anyone is ever in town ... and my usual league night is one SAM ADAMS or one shot of APPLE PIE about 15 minutes before my match, and nothing afterwards.

Anything less and it takes a game or two to get settled in. Anything more and my game deteriorates. With that I can shoot lights out.

There are many things that people call a 'disease' when it's actually a physical/psychological addiction.

No one in my blood family has had alcohol problems, but a nephew developed a heroin addiction which killed him. I've had at least three people in close relationships that had alcohol addiction issues. All three were a combination of psychological/physical addiction.

I haven't shot pool in a good decade, but was pretty good at the time. Somewhere in my basement, is a long black case with a cue....

[Peter1469]

There is a debate about the disease concept which I believe in but some perhaps many do not. Bottom line for some of us alcohol stimulates it's own taking much like tobacco does for most of it's users. That pretty much automatically causes loss of control and all the rest follows for most until total abstinence is achieved . Also true for most smokers. Disease or not is a side issue to that reality IMO.


As far as banning alcohol I do not support it and to back that up I say that we have made more progress reducing the societal damage from legal drugs like tobacco and alcohol than we have from illegal drugs. Turns out people like to have choices. Who knew? Notice though when we did ban alcohol it took an ammendment. There is no such ammendent for federal drug laws they just assumed the right to make them and no one stood against them.

Yes there is debate about the disease model. I believe it is prevalent in the substance abuse medical field- but to be fair they use a very broad definition of disease.

Neuroscientists believe it is a "deeply engrained habit" caused by changes in the neuro pathways in the brain. (I think they are right).

12 steppers think it is a moral issue and an "allergy" to alcohol.

Ultimately the solution is the same: don't drink if you have a serious alcohol use disorder.

[donttread]

Yes there is debate about the disease model. I believe it is prevalent in the substance abuse medical field- but to be fair they use a very broad definition of disease.

Neuroscientists believe it is a "deeply engrained habit" caused by changes in the neuro pathways in the brain. (I think they are right).

12 steppers think it is a moral issue and an "allergy" to alcohol.

Ultimately the solution is the same: don't drink if you have a serious alcohol use disorder.

Excellent post Peter as it really doesn't matter. Disease and/or addiction if you cannot predict how much you'll have or what you'll do once you start drinking it's not going to end well all the time.
AA does have moral and spiritual overtones but anyone including Atheist are welcome.

[Peter1469]

Excellent post Peter as it really doesn't matter. Disease and/or addiction if you cannot predict how much you'll have or what you'll do once you start drinking it's not going to end well all the time.
AA does have moral and spiritual overtones but anyone including Atheist are welcome.

Perhaps doctors prefer the disease model for insurance purposes. Although the neuroscientists would get that too.

[DGUtley]

I don't buy into alcoholism as a disease, at least not in the purest sense.

Being of high native American blood content, I have seen what the abuse can lead to ... my father was an abuser of alcohol until about age 60 ... but everyday he had the choice to not drink.

I very seldom partake in alcohol because of the many health, safety and legal risks involved in partaking.

Being a staunch libertarian, I am not anything close to banning it. I do favor greatly increasing the penalty for harm ... physical and property ... due to alcohol abuse. I cannot stand the idea of 'CHECKPOINTS' being legal. Their reason to exist is revenue generation.

I do partake in marijuana use now and then. The being in a bar effect doesn't do anything for or to me.

I am an avid league pool player ... I'm not very good, but love to play for money if anyone is ever in town ... and my usual league night is one SAM ADAMS or one shot of APPLE PIE about 15 minutes before my match, and nothing afterwards.

Anything less and it takes a game or two to get settled in. Anything more and my game deteriorates. With that I can shoot lights out.

I think it is 'in your blood' to some extent. I come from a long line of drunks (both grandfathers, uncles, cousins, both brothers); so I rarely, if ever, drink - and when I do it's usually just one. My kids know their bloodline so they are the same way.

[Peter1469]

I think it is 'in your blood' to some extent. I come from a long line of drunks (both grandfathers, uncles, cousins, both brothers); so I rarely, if ever, drink - and when I do it's usually just one. My kids know their bloodline so they are the same way.

Good choice: if there is a genetic link, and I think it is a factor, you can't develop alcohol use disorder if you don't (or rarely) drink.

[DGUtley]

Good choice: if there is a genetic link, and I think it is a factor, you can't develop alcohol use disorder if you don't (or rarely) drink.

How could I forget: my father also.