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My brother died because he couldn't stop drinking. He spent thousands upon thousands of dollars for treatment in several centers. He was in hospital many times and when he stabilized they sent him home. And the cycle started over.
My bro was a ticketed millwright in a mine and worked up until his death. His two teenage sons lived in a different city and my brother spend thousands of dollars in traveling and hotels just to see them a couple times a month. He also left them a fortune inheritance.
His guilt was so huge it knocked him back time after time. The pain was just too much and for too long and his system finally gave out. He was 53 !!!
Do people not see that alcoholism is a disease? Willpower does not exist. Yes it is very damaging to approximately 15 people around each alcoholic According to my 12 step program only about 3% of users stay sober even after successful treatment.
It is a social epidemic that is largely ignored. Banning smoking and huge excise taxes on tobacco should be extended to alcoholic beverages. How many people would welcome prohibition. NOT.
Statistics do not support the actual truth. Rarely will people admit their drinking habits when surveyed.
The effectiveness of 12 step programs like AA is a subject for debate. Some studies show them to be about as effective as no treatment at all. AA is a big business, though. They pretty much have a lock on court mandated alcohol abuse orders, so anybody with a DUI will end up at an AA meeting, whether they are an alcoholic or just have poor judgment.
It's not so common in America. A stumblebum who can't hold his liquor is an object of derision here. Binge drinking is common among college students and young adults, but you don't see it much in family age men. If they drink heavily, they try to hide it. Bartenders are legally required to stop serving anyone who becomes visibly intoxicated. They can be fined or lose their license if they don't.
I haven't made it to Scotland yet, but in Ireland I saw a guy at the bar who was so drunk that when he tipped back his glass he fell off the bar stool and spilled his drink. He was too drunk to stand up again, so they propped him up against the bar stool and poured him another beer. I admire the Scots and the Irish for their whisky, but not their drinking culture. I know how to hold my liquor.
I'm what is known as a "two fisted" drinker. One fist holds a glass of whisky, neat. The other fist holds a glass of ice water. The first couple of shots go down pretty quick, then I sip the ice water more than I sip the whisky. A shot will last me about an hour, so I feel sociable without getting drunk.
I do overindulge on special occasions. I'm an amiable drunk. After 5 or 6 drinks, I will sit in the corner and chuckle quietly. My wife thinks I'm a hoot when I'm stewed.
I'll take you for a ride one day and we can stop at a number of bars where you will find "family age men" sitting and drinking. Some no longer have their families.
The effectiveness of 12 step programs like AA is a subject for debate. Some studies show them to be about as effective as no treatment at all. AA is a big business, though. They pretty much have a lock on court mandated alcohol abuse orders, so anybody with a DUI will end up at an AA meeting, whether they are an alcoholic or just have poor judgment.
A big "business"? That would imply that there's money involved. As I'm sure you already know, AA is not allowed by their own rules to charge any fees or accept money. They pass a basket for the coffee and cake fund, and tossing in is optional.
I agree that AA doesn't work for many. But it does for some, and at least those people aren't drinking anymore.
Court-mandated attendance for DUI is not effective, I agree. My ex, who really WAS an alcoholic, was required to go after he was convicted of drunk driving. He had to bring a slip of paper in signed by someone showing he had attended. He went to the first meeting, where he found someone who would sell him signed attendance slips for $10 each.
Back to topic, no, even his daughter was not enough to make him stop drinking. The addiction must be protected. Everything else is secondary.
I'll take you for a ride one day and we can stop at a number of bars where you will find "family age men" sitting and drinking. Some no longer have their families.
Never sat in on an AA meeting, eh?
Well...you know.....people who get blitzed at home aren't like them.
I grew up in the 50's and 60's and remember the scenario the OP described. Many men stopped to have a few drinks on the way home from work. It was very common, if not the norm. (Women drank....they drank at home.) When I was about eight one of the neighborhood dads stopped to have a few after work. Then, like all the other guys who stopped at a bar after work, he got into his car to drive home. About two blocks from his house, at five in the afternoon, he plowed into a car that was stopped at a red light. He killed two women and several kids sitting in the car.
My own father didn't drink and drove straight home to his wife and kids. He wad considered quite the oddball.
I'm what is known as a "two fisted" drinker. One fist holds a glass of whisky, neat. The other fist holds a glass of ice water. The first couple of shots go down pretty quick, then I sip the ice water more than I sip the whisky. A shot will last me about an hour, so I feel sociable without getting drunk.
I do overindulge on special occasions. I'm an amiable drunk. After 5 or 6 drinks, I will sit in the corner and chuckle quietly. My wife thinks I'm a hoot when I'm stewed.
She (and you) might not think it's a hoot that drunkenness and Alzheimer's Disease/cognitive decline have a positive association:
"results suggest frequent episodes of drunkenness in older adults are associated with a greater risk of cognitive decline"
Sober drunks are all convinced anyone who drinks has a drinking problem. In fact, it is only a small minority that has a problem, mostly thanks to a genetic deficiency in the way they metabolize alcohol. The defect also causes cumulative brain damage.
If you are getting stewed every weekend, you have a problem. If you get stewed twice a year, not so much.
Im talking more about fathers who only see booze as their pleasure in life, and cant wait for the pub to open, we have a pub near us that opens at 6am.. no joke... they get round the law by selling food.... now who needs a drink at that time..
Well...you know.....people who get blitzed at home aren't like them.
I grew up in the 50's and 60's and remember the scenario the OP described. Many men stopped to have a few drinks on the way home from work. It was very common, if not the norm. (Women drank....they drank at home.) When I was about eight one of the neighborhood dads stopped to have a few after work. Then, like all the other guys who stopped at a bar after work, he got into his car to drive home. About two blocks from his house, at five in the afternoon, he plowed into a car that was stopped at a red light. He killed two women and several kids sitting in the car.
My own father didn't drink and drove straight home to his wife and kids. He wad considered quite the oddball.
My father, too. He did have the occasional beer at the VFW.
Im talking more about fathers who only see booze as their pleasure in life, and cant wait for the pub to open, we have a pub near us that opens at 6am.. no joke... they get round the law by selling food.... now who needs a drink at that time..
Alcoholics do. My ex's friend owned a bar. The guys who worked there knew when they were on their way to open it in the morning that there would be the same two or three guys waiting in the parking lot.
My late friend kept enough vodka in the bottle next to her bed to have a few swigs in the morning before she got up, which was usually around 5. Early riser. This way she knew she wouldn't have a withdrawal seizure before the liquor store opened.
She was dead at 51 of cirrhosis.
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Drunkenness and risk of cognitive decline
