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Miracles In Progress 12 Step Recovery Forums -> Al-Anon Family Group -> Al-Anon Family Group -> Sharing...Alcoholism As A Disease
Post Info TOPIC: Sharing...Alcoholism As A Disease
Phil


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Sharing...Alcoholism As A Disease
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But It Doesn't Act Like a Disease!

One of the difficulties in recognizing alcoholism as a disease is it just plain doesn't seem like one. It doesn't look, sound, smell and it certainly doesn't act like a disease. To make matters worse, generally it denies it exists and resists treatment.

Alcoholism has been recognized for many years by professional medical organizations as a primary, chronic, progressive and sometimes fatal disease. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence offers a detailed and complete definition of alcoholism, but probably the most simple way to describe it is "a mental obsession that causes a physical compulsion to drink."

Mental obsession? Did you ever wake up in the morning with a song playing over and over in your head? It might have been a commercial jingle you heard on television, or a song from the radio, but it kept playing ... and playing and playing.

Mental Obsession

Remember what that was like? No matter what you did, that silly tune kept on playing. You could try to whistle or sing another song or turn on the radio and listen to another tune, but the one in your head just kept on playing. Think about it. There was something going on in your mind that you didn't put there and, no matter how hard you tried, couldn't get out!

That is an example of a simple mental obsession -- a thought process over which you have no control. Such is the nature of the disease of alcoholism. When the drinking "song" starts playing in the mind of an alcoholic, he is powerless. He didn't put the song there and the only way to get it to stop is to take another drink.

The problem is the alcoholic's mental obsession with alcohol is much more subtle than a song playing in his mind. In fact, he may not even know it's there. All he knows is he suddenly has an urge to take a drink -- a physical compulsion to drink.

Progressive Disease

Compounding the problem is the progressive nature of the disease. In its early stages, taking one or two drinks may be all it takes to get the "song" to stop. But soon it takes six or seven and later maybe ten or twelve. Somewhere down the road the only time the song stops is when he passes out.

The progression of the disease is so subtle and usually takes place over such an extended period of time, that even the alcoholic himself failed to notice the point at which he lost control -- and alcohol took over -- his life.

No wonder denial is an almost universal symptom of the disease. For those who have come to the realization that they do have a problem, help may be as close as the white pages of the telephone directory. But for those who need help and do not want it, intervention may be the only alternative.


http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/info2/a/aa022697.htm


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Sunny2007


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Thank you very much, Phil.  Appreciate your contribution for many reasons.

Take good care.

Grateful member of Al-Anon,
Sunny

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carolena


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Wow!! I just got off of about.com - great article - great site for understanding alcoholism.
Thanks for your post, Phil.

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Leetle


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Phil,
I appreciate this post very much.  I am realizing how much denial I have been in over the last few years.  I am very good at talking myself out of reality and believing what I wish was true.  Alcoholism as a disease has been hard for me to put my head around.  Some come into alanon recovery and want to learn everything there is to know about alcoholism.  I am the opposite.  Even when I was pregnant, I would read pregnancy books, but stop before the labor section.  I couldn't go there. 

With my recovery in alanon, I have found that, I at times, try to convince myself that my A is in fact not an A and I am blowing everything out of porportion.  My A is extremely manipulative and can twist anything around to his benefit.  He is never at fault, never to blame.  He also doesn't believe he has a problem.  It is going to take me a while to deprogram myself from reacting and acting on his manipulation. 

I guess when I began my recovery, I didn't really care if it was a disease or not.  It didn't change what I felt I needed to do, down deep inside me.  I already have great compassion for my A, which translated into guilt for my great desire to leave him.

I guess I went a bit off topic.  I'll stop here, but thanks again for your post.

Yours in recovery,
Leetle

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Diva


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Thanks, Phil, for your post.  I have a hard time accepting alcoholism as a disease.  If it doesn't look like a disease, doesn't sound like a disease, doesn't smell like a disease, and doesn't act like a disease, (all according to you), it probably is not a disease.  Perhaps one day I will,"see the light" and accept alcoholism as a disease, but as yet, I haven't managed that.

I send best wishes to you and yours,

Diva

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Phil


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Hi back atcha....and I wish to share that I understand...

Besides being a recovering Alcoholic..Im also a member of Alanon..

And to be honest?

There are still some days that an Alky can still..."P*** me right off"  :)

I'll add the words "Complete Insanity"

And I have a choice of getting wrapped up in it all...and becoming insane, myself..

Or...Trying to stay out of it...and detatching...

Have a nice day eh...

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Gailey


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I think that sometimes it is hard for some to see Aism as a disease because it doesn't look like a physical disease, like cancer and many other diseases. However, I can refer to it as a disease of the brain chemistry, like bi-polar and other types of brain diseases.

I grew up with an A father and never knew then that it was a disease. I was married very young to an A and did not even know it then. Now I am "older and wiser"lol and have children that have the disease. Our home did not consist of alcoholism but my older son's father, both grandfathers and a great grandfather (maybe both great grandfathers) were alcoholics.

I use to believe that it was something that you got if you grew up around Aism in your everyday family life. I could understand why my brother and some sisters have problems with addictions....because my mom never left my dad and we were around it our entire life. I don't believe that anymore.

I now believe it has alot to do with your brain chemistry and I think that is the genetic part of it. I don't believe that alcohol has to be the substance you abuse but I surely believe whatever substance it is....is a result of a faulty brain chemistry and that is why it just keeps the cycle going in families. Me and my 4 siblings all have some form of substance abuse. Alcohol, drugs and food. Although mine has only been food...we have all abused for the same reason...it is how we coped with things in our life. When my children are not drinking alcohol I can see the obsession with food coming in to play. It is a coping mechanism that turns into a physical addiction. When I have my food under control I see that shopping and spending money is what I turn to.

I am sure there is way more to it than I can even think about. I am in therapy to deal with my food issues and the thoughts and feelings that trigger my addiction. I am trying to learn other coping mechanisms and ways to nurture myself without having to turn to food for comfort. It is not happening overnight and I have a lot of work to do.

I did not mean for this post to be so long. Understanding what I do has been the reason why I can have so much compassion for the alcoholics in my life. I feel that craving that they feel and I know it is a very hard thing to not give into it even if it is something that you do not want to do.

Please...take what you want and leave the rest.

YFIR...Gail

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Gail
Kim65


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I too have the 'double trouble' :D . In about six months time I went from a drink to get to sleep at night to DRINKING daily, as soon as I got home from work (at a drug rehab, mind you!). Alcoholism and addiction are rampant in my family, and many have died from it over the years.

Still, though when I write or speak I call it a disease but only to give it a certain kind of meaning, to make sense of the powerlessness over what the substance DOES to me in my own life. I simply cannot drink alcohol in any form, ever. The 'disease' is just waiting in my body chemistry. I cannot control how I react to alcohol, period. But I can control all the steps that lead UP to drinking.

On the Alanon side of things, my dual perspective can be frustrating as well as enlightening. I remember clearly how hard it was to stop drinking, but when I did stop, it was clear that I didn't HAVE to drink, no matter how badly I craved it. I craved alcohol on a nightly basis for two solid years. I most gratefully rarely think about it now, but it's there in all it's cunning, baffling and powerful self.

To keep out of my A husband's recovery is a daily, daily effort. Some days I just start flapping my lips and getting all enmeshed, and think if I could SOMEHOW just get him to where I 'got to', he would be peachy!

Then I have to remember how I myself got to step one . . . it was an act of Grace. I didn't do it myself. It was a gift. Even this many years later, I can still remember that 'space', it was confirmation to me a higher power was RIGHT THERE. So getting my A to this place is not my place, so to speak. Hard to remember on a daily basis.

Sorry for going a little off topic :D . I really needed to remind myself of a few things today.

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lin0606


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I agree that it is more useful to realize that it is a mental illness, with physical aspects, than to compare it with something like cancer.

Instead of the common comparison to diabetes - a diabetic can't control what happens to his blood sugar - I find a better comparison is to something like Alzheimers,  or, as was said, bi polar disorder.  There are many mental illnesses where the denial that there is a problem is a big part of the problem.

I also think it's useful for us to condier how hard it is for us to change our own behaviours. OVer and over here on the board I hear people say "I know I shouldn't call him but I just can't help it"  "I know I shouldn't say anything, but..." "I know it's bad for me to blah blah, but..."   If WE find it so hard to stop a behaviour, with no physical compulsion, it is understandable that the A finds it nearly impossible.

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Lanchas


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great post it made it more understandable but not acceptable


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