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Very astute - too much. I still contend that those with addictions make unhealthy choices - smoking in point. I smoke. Now, do I have a disease or an addiction? Who is making the choice to go to the store and buy the cigarettes? Who lights one up? Me. Yet smoking kills 4 times as many people annually as does alcohol. Yet no one is saying I have the disease of smoking. Now, if I continue to smoke I may surely get a disease like lung cancer. Nonetheless, I take full responsibility for my smoking and don't blame it on some disease.
You will see people at AA meetings smoking like fiends gulping down cups of coffee, yet they claim sobriety. Hello!!! Nicotine is a drug. Caffeine is a drug. Nicotine is the hardest drug to kick!
Serious nicotine addiction is a hereditary disorder. A certain %, 10?, of the population is predisposed to this. This says to me that the people who smoke socially, quit cold turkey, claim that they kicked the habit with moderate struggle, fall into the other 90%.
2: a condition of the living animal or plant body or of one of its parts that impairs normal functioning and is typically manifested by distinguishing signs and symptoms : sickness , malady
3: a harmful development (as in a social institution)
You should review brain scans of addicts if you dont think its a disease.
Most addicts have trauma damage pre addiction. Stress and trauma have the same damaging effects on the brain organically (changes its seratonin dosing-a.k.a the happy balance ing in normal people). Not to say people can use that as an excuse to behave in any manner and you don't have to like them or what they do...but you should be understanding now that you know that is not always as simple as "behave yourself". Remember you last bad mood created by some body pain, or being hungry etc. People are not their best when under constant stress or after a period of constant stress. Even if they didn't intake any chemicals they still would be a dysfunctional person in another form.(overeating, sexual, OCD etc) Also nutritional deficiency problems that stem from addiction create an aggressive behavior and mood swings by being depleted making the already existing mood swing problem even worse. It can take a long time to really nutritionally restore someone that does drugs. If they can even be restored at all.
Yes, and there are brain scans of thieves, rapists, cig smokers, etc, to think of, too. There are all sorts of reasons to have deviant scans.
The bad mood model does not work, b/c although I cannot control when I'm in a bad mood, I can control my actions during the time. For instance, I am one of those people who does not take my bad mood out on other people. B/c "I'm sad" or "I'm tired" or "I had a fight with my wife" is not someone else's problem. In the end, you control your behavior.
Labeling everyone who cannot function exactly perfectly normally in society as 'diseased' takes too much of the responsibility out of their hands. I have several friends who should clearly have a very strong genetic predisposition towards alcoholism (like every single family member is a complete drunk) who don't touch the stuff or are able to control their consumption.
The malnutrition of which you speak is a result of alcoholism, not an inherent part of the disease.
Yes, and there are brain scans of thieves, rapists, cig smokers, etc, to think of, too. There are all sorts of reasons to have deviant scans.
The bad mood model does not work, b/c although I cannot control when I'm in a bad mood, I can control my actions during the time. For instance, I am one of those people who does not take my bad mood out on other people. B/c "I'm sad" or "I'm tired" or "I had a fight with my wife" is not someone else's problem. In the end, you control your behavior.
Labeling everyone who cannot function exactly perfectly normally in society as 'diseased' takes too much of the responsibility out of their hands. I have several friends who should clearly have a very strong genetic predisposition towards alcoholism (like every single family member is a complete drunk) who don't touch the stuff or are able to control their consumption.
The malnutrition of which you speak is a result of alcoholism, not an inherent part of the disease.
Well than control your anger and quit hating people you don't understand sweet thing! You are taking your harsh opinion out on others right now in this post.And why does it matter what your friends do? Everyone is different. Im not sure why you would compare your friends public drinking habit with someone you don't even know. For all you know, your friends could be closet drunks that secretly molest their kids.
It doesn't remove responsibility. People that don't want to get better/cant get better are just not doing as well as others at recovery. Not everyone heals the same.
Malnutrition sure is a HUGE part of the disease. Why do you think anyone that drinks like a fish looks/feels like crap after the years of it?
Your list of other mentally ill people and addicts...What point are you trying to make? All mental illness behaviors can be traced to organic brain issues. Not just people who drink.
It doesn't make any of it an excuse, but a clue to a path of effective solutions.
brainwashing is imposing your views on others no?
compulsive behavior is not limited to drugs.
many compulsive damaging behaviors are far worse than doing push ups in the parking lot.
the intent of 12 step programs is not to turn the earth into an endless stream of disease labeling. it is to help people get better.
they are very effective in conjunction with mainstream tradional treatment of compulsions. do you need links?
2: a condition of the living animal or plant body or of one of its parts that impairs normal functioning and is typically manifested by distinguishing signs and symptoms : sickness , malady
3: a harmful development (as in a social institution)
You should review brain scans of addicts if you dont think its a disease. Most addicts have trauma damage pre addiction. Stress and trauma have the same damaging effects on the brain organically (changes its seratonin dosing-a.k.a the happy balance ing in normal people). Not to say people can use that as an excuse to behave in any manner and you don't have to like them or what they do...but you should be understanding now that you know that is not always as simple as "behave yourself". Remember you last bad mood created by some body pain, or being hungry etc. People are not their best when under constant stress or after a period of constant stress. Even if they didn't intake any chemicals they still would be a dysfunctional person in another form.(overeating, sexual, OCD etc) Also nutritional deficiency problems that stem from addiction create an aggressive behavior and mood swings by being depleted making the already existing mood swing problem even worse. It can take a long time to really nutritionally restore someone that does drugs. If they can even be restored at all.
What I bolded is absolutely NOT true. Also, it's the only "disease" that cures itself by NOT doing something, so chew that over. And how on earth can you assert that even if they didn't intake any chemicals they would be a dysfunctional person in another form? There are lots of people out there who do not demonstrate any pathology and just live normal lives. There are lots of people when they just quit drinking or using turn into normal humans.
Serious nicotine addiction is a hereditary disorder. A certain %, 10?, of the population is predisposed to this. This says to me that the people who smoke socially, quit cold turkey, claim that they kicked the habit with moderate struggle, fall into the other 90%.
brainwashing is imposing your views on others no?
compulsive behavior is not limited to drugs.
many compulsive damaging behaviors are far worse than doing push ups in the parking lot.
the intent of 12 step programs is not to turn the earth into an endless stream of disease labeling. it is to help people get better.
they are very effective in conjunction with mainstream tradional treatment of compulsions. do you need links?
Here is a link all should be aware of that exposes what a program like aa is all about (and all the other programs that stem from it)
Well than control your anger and quit hating people you don't understand sweet thing! You are taking your harsh opinion out on others right now in this post.
Malnutrition sure is a HUGE part of the disease. Why do you think anyone that drinks like a fish looks/feels like crap after the years of it?
.
1. I'm not angry. I am a little bothered by the pervasive victim mentality that seems to have overtaken this nation's good judgement.
2. Malnutrition is the end result of poor choices and behavior (in the case of an alcoholic) or the result of poverty or the result of an intestinal absorption disorder. Malnutrition is almost always a result of something - not part of a disease. Understand what you are saying, please.
3. I wasn't talking about anyone with mental health issues. Schizophrenics often drink and smoke as part of their way of self-medicating. They are unconsciously trying to treat their very real disease. That is very different from someone who can't control their urges to get up, walk out the door, drive to the store, pay for alcohol, and then open and consume it.
4. I applaud any program, including AA, that helps people live better lives.
You don't think something is a disease, well, fine, call it whatever you want.
But for many of us the term works, and AA works.
I think it helps many people confront the problem and do something about it.
You can think what you want.
I know what worked for me, and I am not going to argue about it, I have bigger fish to fry.
AA has a 5% success rate. Congratulations it worked for you.
Unfortunately, it's hurt many and is an impediment to getting on with the business of offering alternatives to it.
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