Alcoholic?

[nancy]

Alcoholic?

individual vs. group

Hi Briseus
I am with you about not appreciating labeling. I think for me what it comes down to is this group mentality toward addiction which is led by people who are former addicts and who many have no training at all in psychology or medicine, vs.looking for an individual way out and understanding. That's the whole point of this website I think.

I've felt for a long time that approaches to substance abuse are not very scientific.
I have been reading books by Lance Dodes lately about addiction and they are very enlightening and he for sure treats people like inviduals:

Lance M. Dodes, M.D. - Addiction FAQ

He offers an explanation about the complexities of addiction and the flaws in the simplistic brain disease explanation.

I think when it comes to AA you need to find a meeting you like and stick to your guns about not doing everything the zealot members require. Use it for what you like about it, including meeting people who are gong through the same things you are going through.

[nancy]

Alcoholic?

better link

Yeah Ne! There is some irony in that!
Here's a better link from the website of Lance Dodes, Harvard psychiatrist:
Lance M. Dodes, M.D. - Blog

Jonathan Rhys Meyers, star of Bend It Like Beckham and The Tudors, was hospitalized recently due to an alleged incident involving alcohol, possibly mixed with prescription drugs. It didn't take long before speculation began to focus on the question of whether this was a "relapse" or even a suicide attempt. As an addiction psychiatrist, I fielded a number of questions about this news from patients and colleagues alike.

One quote came from the CEO of Promises Treatment Centers, Dr. David Sack, who went on the record with People magazine to discuss his take on the intimate details of this alleged incident:

"[T]o recover, an individual has to believe they have a problem. The fact that Rhys Meyers was trying to send away the ambulance suggests he didn't recognize the seriousness of the problem and that he was still hoping to conceal it. If on reflection he decides to re-engage in treatment, his prognosis could be very good."

This statement reveals something about the mistaken way our society thinks of addiction. First, I think it's safe to say that Mr. Rhys Meyers is aware that he has a problem: he has been in and out of trouble with the law for years surrounding alcohol-related incidents. Of course without knowing him, I cannot say whether or not he has an addiction. But I can say that nearly everyone with compulsive or addictive behavior is aware that something is wrong.


But acknowledging this problem by name ("I have an addiction") is another matter altogether. Why is this so hard? Probably because of our culture's mistaken view of addiction. After all, if you believe addiction to be a pleasure-seeking behavior due to some defect in character, or the modern version of this error, that addiction is a pleasure-seeking behavior due to a "brain disease" that biologically enslaves you into seeking the pleasure of drugs, then of course you will deny that you have an addiction. Who wouldn't?

But addiction is about something entirely different, and people with addictions are no different from anyone else. Addiction is about taking active steps to reverse an intolerable sense of helplessness. When this response is directed toward a displaced or substitute behavior, we call that behavior an addiction. This essential fact - that addiction is just a healthy emotional response gone awry - makes it far easier for people to "admit" this problem and name it accordingly.

[gimp]

Alcoholic?

At this point, everyone including myself knows that im an alcoholic. Not even worth disputing it anymore.:upset:

[mario]

Alcoholic?

gimp;1350318 wrote: At this point, everyone including myself knows that i'm an alcoholic. Not even worth disputing it anymore.:upset:

Well isn't that a good start in admitting that you have a problem,For a lot of people me included it took me a life time before I would admit it to myself,I was forever in denial & excuses,So gimp get your plan together and join in here everyday and with some hard work you will get back on track in your life :welcome:

[Kradle123]

Alcoholic?

[QUOTE=nancy;1350018]Yeah Ne! There is some irony in that!
Here's a better link from the website of Lance Dodes, Harvard psychiatrist:
Lance M. Dodes, M.D. - Blog

Addiction is about taking active steps to reverse an intolerable sense of helplessness. When this response is directed toward a displaced or substitute behavior, we call that behavior an addiction.



Geex Louise this is me to a tee. I always joked I was the poster child for learned helplessness... Like one of those experimental dogs in shock cages....

This is a lot to digest. I'm going to take a shower...