Bluefish, Thank you for a very reasonable, and well thought out, post.
The only reason I sometimes bring up the "disease" issue, is because in working with alcoholics at county, and general, hospitals, I have seen too many of them try to place the blame on it being a disease, like measles, and not accept their own responsibility for what brought them to the condition they are in. I have also heard some talk, that the doctors like to call it a disease, so they can collect insurance benefits for treating it, but have no real confirmation of that.Your post seems to agree, to a degree, with that. If someone feels better calling it a disease, fine with me. I just prefer to call it an addiction. I think every one will agree that the first step on the road to alcoholism, is a conscious choice by the individual. In almost all cases, no one poured that first drink down his throat against his will. I know they didn't do it to me, and the only person I can blame for the problems I have had in the past, is me.
Your last paragraph is quite a bit like my own feelings. What ever works for any individual, is fine with me. Some people, however, feel that if anything is not done the way they do it, then it cannot work, and cannot be right. I don't believe that way, on almost all issues,which has engendered hard feelings.
AA is a fine way to learn the tools needed to fight alcoholism in oneself. It helped me a lot, but did not pound the nail all the way into the board. I guess I never completely hit bottom while in AA, but when I did, there was no looking back. I believe that Jesus showed me the light during my darkest hours, and set me on the right path. I can't prove that, and don't care if anyone believes it, or not. I know what happened to me, and that is all that matters to me. The same sensation happened when I quit smoking in June of last year, cold turkey, with out one withdrawal symptom.
I will admit, that many of the stressful factors in my life that made me lean toward escape, are no longer there, and that has made my life a lot easier, and more pleasant. A new, and wonderful, relationship has made me an, extremely, happy camper. I am still quite aggressive in some of my posts, but that is the way I have always been, and most people understand that, and do not take offense. Occasionally, the debate gets out of hand, and I am sure you have seen some of that on this thread. Unfortunate.
~;=;o --haqi |
