Why do people say that once an alcoholic always an alcoholic?
Danny,So even if a person never has another drink they will always be an alcoholic? I don’t get it. How can a person be cured and still have the disease for the rest of their lives? I never hear people say once depressed always depressed or once with the flu always with the flu.
STUDU
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Hey Stud,
That is because alcoholism is a two-fold malady – mental AND physical. There is a mental obsession – with which you can probably clearly see – and which many problems drinkers can be “counseled” to overcome – but in alcoholism is also COMBINED with real PHYSICAL DAMAGE which cannot be reversed. A heavy drinker crosses the line into being alcoholic once this physical damage is done.
The physical damage is caused by his body no longer being able to metabolize alcohol the way it “used to” which results in an abnormal reaction to alcohol once ANY amount whatever enters hid body. This abnormal reaction (one which most
people do not ever experience) is a phenomenon of craving so intense as to be beyond mental control.
If you can imagine that a diabetic CRAVES sugar – yet if he gets any it cold kill him, then you are thinking along the right lines. He can usually control it until he gets sugar, then he CRAVES MORE!
The physical side of alcoholism is similar, except that the craving is utterly impossible to control. The alcohol will continue to drink – no matter what, regardless of the e consequences.
Alcoholics never “CRAVE” alcohol unless the first have some – whether that be by glass or even an undercooked cheesecake or even a splash of brandy in a dessert sauce.
This article may help further:
http://recoveredalcoholic.blogspot.com/2007/10/seething-caldron-of-debate.html
Many alcoholics such as myself can and DO recover from the illness by having the OBSESSION side of the coin solved – but since we are still “allergic” then we prefer to say we are not “cured”. We can never drink without experiencing the craving – SO we turn to means like The Twelve Steps which removes the obsession in the first place so there is never a craving int he second. The cycle is broken.
There is no such thing as a “RecoverING” alcoholic – even if it is a popular term in treatment centers and rehabs – and yes it has even “leaked” into many AA – meetings — but not not into the AA Program – nor or in my experience. AA does not have such a concept in it’s Program of recovery – We either IS or we ISN’T recovered.
I hope that helps.
Peace,
Danny S
1 Ask A QUESTION HERE:
Hey Danny, how aare you man? I learned about your writing through another website that takes a VERY different view of AA, but I haven't checked in in awhile. I'm 15 months sober.
This is a really interesting post. I've never heard much talk about an actual, ongoing "physical transformation" that takes place. I knew there are well-researched physical effects that alcohol has on many of us. But I always thought that part of it is gone and done with after the quitting. They showed a very interesting video at Seabrook House, the treatment center I went to, done by the main physician. I actually watched it first during my intervention. Have you seen it?
Thanks for your post, some interesting things for me to think about.
Brendan
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