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Some think alcoholics can learn to drink moderately. Agree?
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<blockquote data-quote="donna723" data-source="post: 630151" data-attributes="member: 1883"><p>Nope! I don't believe that for one little minute! A true alcoholic can NEVER go back to drinking moderately ... that's the definition of the word "alcoholic". They are <em>addicted</em> to alcohol and when they are drinking, they have no control over their alcohol consumption.</p><p></p><p>I grew up around alcoholics - my father, my brother, and twenty years with an alcoholic husband. They were all "functional" alcoholics in that they could manage to not show up for work under the influence and made a good show of it but all three (and their families) have been severely affected by their drinking. All three would have strongly denied being an alcoholic. And NONE of them could have ever re-made themselves in to a moderate social drinker. Never! No way! No way, the same way that I could never turn myself in to a moderate, occasional smoker - it's all or nothing! I could maybe cut way down for a day or so, even stop, but once I had that first one, I'd be right back in to it full out.</p><p></p><p>My father drank all the time but sometimes would go on binges where he got worse and some of my worst childhood memories that still haunt me are when my father was drunk at family gatherings and made a scene. I know his drinking affected his health and shortened his life. My older brother drinks a lot, all the time. And now in retirement he has turned into a virtual hermit, doesn't go anywhere, doesn't do anything, just sits in his recliner in front of the TV with a beer in his hand. In both cases, both my mother and my sister in law were enablers, downplaying and minimizing the drinking so as not to rock the boat.</p><p></p><p>My ex was the worst though. To him, <u>nothing</u> is more important than his drinking. And it's cost him everything he ever professed to care about - his marriage, his children, his family, his friends, his job, his home, his health, his self respect - and he STILL insists that he is <u>not</u> an alcoholic! Yeah, right! He has a beautiful little five year old grandson that he has never even met because his daughter won't allow him anywhere near him, for very good reason! Over the years I've heard it all ... he could quit any time he wanted to, it was not the drinking but the principal of the thing, he's an adult, he can do as he pleases, and on and on. On the few occasions that he claimed to have stopped, we found out he had been lying about it. He's been hospitalized because of his drinking and he's spent time in jail because of his drinking, he's lost everything good he ever had because of the drinking. And he still claims that he drinks because he <em>wants</em> to, not because he <em>has</em> to, and that he can quit any time he wants to ... he just doesn't want to! For a true alcoholic like he is, there is NO WAY he could ever go back to drinking only occasionally or to be just a social drinker. Just one drink and he would be right back in it again. I think that's what the word "alcoholic" means.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="donna723, post: 630151, member: 1883"] Nope! I don't believe that for one little minute! A true alcoholic can NEVER go back to drinking moderately ... that's the definition of the word "alcoholic". They are [I]addicted[/I] to alcohol and when they are drinking, they have no control over their alcohol consumption. I grew up around alcoholics - my father, my brother, and twenty years with an alcoholic husband. They were all "functional" alcoholics in that they could manage to not show up for work under the influence and made a good show of it but all three (and their families) have been severely affected by their drinking. All three would have strongly denied being an alcoholic. And NONE of them could have ever re-made themselves in to a moderate social drinker. Never! No way! No way, the same way that I could never turn myself in to a moderate, occasional smoker - it's all or nothing! I could maybe cut way down for a day or so, even stop, but once I had that first one, I'd be right back in to it full out. My father drank all the time but sometimes would go on binges where he got worse and some of my worst childhood memories that still haunt me are when my father was drunk at family gatherings and made a scene. I know his drinking affected his health and shortened his life. My older brother drinks a lot, all the time. And now in retirement he has turned into a virtual hermit, doesn't go anywhere, doesn't do anything, just sits in his recliner in front of the TV with a beer in his hand. In both cases, both my mother and my sister in law were enablers, downplaying and minimizing the drinking so as not to rock the boat. My ex was the worst though. To him, [U]nothing[/U] is more important than his drinking. And it's cost him everything he ever professed to care about - his marriage, his children, his family, his friends, his job, his home, his health, his self respect - and he STILL insists that he is [U]not[/U] an alcoholic! Yeah, right! He has a beautiful little five year old grandson that he has never even met because his daughter won't allow him anywhere near him, for very good reason! Over the years I've heard it all ... he could quit any time he wanted to, it was not the drinking but the principal of the thing, he's an adult, he can do as he pleases, and on and on. On the few occasions that he claimed to have stopped, we found out he had been lying about it. He's been hospitalized because of his drinking and he's spent time in jail because of his drinking, he's lost everything good he ever had because of the drinking. And he still claims that he drinks because he [I]wants[/I] to, not because he [I]has[/I] to, and that he can quit any time he wants to ... he just doesn't want to! For a true alcoholic like he is, there is NO WAY he could ever go back to drinking only occasionally or to be just a social drinker. Just one drink and he would be right back in it again. I think that's what the word "alcoholic" means. [/QUOTE]
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Some think alcoholics can learn to drink moderately. Agree?
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