Friday 12 June 2015

Alcoholism: A Lifestyle Choice or a Disease?

I have read many articles in the last week or so about the death of politician Charles Kennedy which is alleged to have occurred secondary to complications of alcoholism. The eulogies are very open about Charles having had a long standing problem with alcohol and the efforts he made to control his drinking patterns.

They have made me contemplate again whether I believe alcoholism to be a disease from which we suffer or a lifestyle choice we perpetuate.

Until now I've sat on the fence about this. To date I've not formed an absolute opinion one way or another because it's difficult. But now it's time I got off the fence.

I do not believe alcoholism is a disease. I believe it is a choice. While it shares many features and patterns of diseases, the bottom line is that without alcohol, there is no alcoholism. It's true that some of us are more pre-disposed to having a problematic relationship with alcohol than others, but similarly some of us in that same group choose not to pursue the relationship.

  • Despite the affects of alcohol being progressive, removing alcohol halts this progression. Not so if a patient with lung cancer stops smoking.
  • Though multi-faceted, problems always begin with voluntary intake of alcohol. This is not so with other diseases. 
  • People become alcoholic because they drink alcohol. Some people get terrible diseases for no apparent reason.
In some ways the discussion is purely academic. Does it really matter whether problems with alcohol meets some specific criteria that define it as a disease process? Should we take the literal meaning of the word and agree that alcohol causes us dis-ease?

In my opinion, the only reason it matters to make the distinction, is to be clear that we have a choice. We can choose not to drink. We can choose to stop, to avoid, to say no thanks. We are not powerless, helpless or unable to battle against a relentless driving force. We just believe we are and those thoughts influence our actions.

To choose the correct actions we have to manage our thoughts and the first step is to re-assert that we are in control and we alone decide what goes into our own bodies. 

Think as if you are a strong person and refuse to be a passive victim.

I await your conflicting opinions with great anticipation.




p.s. (and yes, I think the same premise applies to obesity, but I'll keep that for another day).

17 comments :

  1. We can discuss this over dinner missus! But to declare my position I think it is a mental health condition in the category of obsessive compulsive disorder and the chronic abuse of alcohol changes the brain so that it becomes a physical illness

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    1. I take your point too. It is a complicated process whatever you call it and there is definitely a spectrum of affliction. See you Friday.

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    2. I agree with lucy completely.
      No one chooses to drink away their health, family or reputation. At some point it crosses from being a action of choice into a disorder.

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    3. I too agree with Lucy 100%. I think that some of us are born with addictive personality disorders (probably falling under the umbrella of OCD) and that once some of us drink alcohol, it manifests as alcoholism. I think the same thing can carry over with food (you had mentioned obesity)... I find myself compulsively overeating when I know I shouldn't now that I have stopped drinking, and it feels as if I am powerless to stop - it's like transferring addictions.

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    4. Yes I agree that after a point the alcohol alters our internal environment. It's almost as if at first alcohol is metabolised without any problems but has set in motion a series of consequences that some of us are more susceptible too than others.
      I definitely agree with the transfer of addictions. I've been round so many of them, sequentially, and still struggle with the eating. I do over eat compulsively but it is me who puts the food into my own mouth. No one else. I feel I have a choice about that but am not strong enough to always make the correct choice.

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  2. Hi I chose to stop drinking last night after 10 years of misery and hell ,, especially the affects on my mental health which was healthy before I had a drink problem . Now my head is all over the place , full of remorse and regret and after 2 recent suicide attempts I've decided enough is enough !!! But I can't imagine a sober life , it just seems impossible

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    1. Dear Gazza,
      So glad you are stopping.
      You can have a new life, and it can be good!
      My thoughts of suicide have gone away.
      Hugs!
      Wendy

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    2. Dear Gazza,

      You have made a great choice! One thing I can say for sure after having stopped drinking is that my moods are much more balanced and I am not nearly as depressed...it WILL get better and you CAN do it! You are already on the right path...the journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step!

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    3. Thank you , I'm 4 days sober now and my withdrawals are pretty harsh , but I've been to AA twice since stopping and its helped me mentally wise x

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    5. Hi Gazza and welcome to the sober blogosphere- and the real sober world. It's a scary place at first but hang in there- you are doing great. The hardest thing ever is to turn day zero into day 1, after the hangover has gone, and you have already succeeded in doing that. There is lots of help on line so make good use of it. Taking part in discussions is a good alternative and a way to distract your mind at difficult times. Bring on your first week done!

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  3. Dear Rachel,
    I love this.
    I have no idea, but I don't think it's a disease either.
    I think some people who drink will develop a problem, and others won't.
    The brain, body, and mind work in ways we still don't know about.
    All I know is, I was one of the ones who had a problem with drinking. It became an addiction.
    But today I choose not to drink!
    xo
    Wendy

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    1. we are all different Wendy and are each entitled to our own views. I, too, choose not to drink and live a happy-ish sober life. I don't consider myself 'cured' because I don't think I had or was a disease. But sure, I had bad side effects from drinking alcohol and these went as soon as I removed their cause.

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  4. Hi Rachel. I've been back & forth on this issue, but ultimately it doesn't matter. I had a huge problem with alcohol and my maternal grandfather was an alcoholic as well as an uncle on my Dad's side. I believe the circumstances that happened to me along with the genetic code were a perfect alignment to me becoming an alcoholic. I was both physically & mentally addicted to the gut- rot.
    I know there are varying degrees of the addiction also. I have family members who are highly functioning drinkers, but for how much longer!
    Thank God I had the resources to get the help I needed because otherwise I wouldn't be here. :)

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  6. Hi Rachel. I've been back & forth on this issue, but ultimately it doesn't matter. I had a huge problem with alcohol and my maternal grandfather was an alcoholic as well as an uncle on my Dad's side. I believe the circumstances that happened to me along with the genetic code were a perfect alignment to me becoming an alcoholic. I was both physically & mentally addicted to the gut- rot.
    I know there are varying degrees of the addiction also. I have family members who are highly functioning drinkers, but for how much longer!
    Thank God I had the resources to get the help I needed because otherwise I wouldn't be here. :)

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    1. There is definitely a genetic element. The more I looked at my family the more alcohol related problems I saw. it's the same that some smokers never get lung cancer (though most do). As long as we each know how we act and react and know what we need to do to remain as we wish, it can be called whatever!

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Go on, spill.

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