ARMY GARRISON GATES NOW OPEN 11th JANAURY 2016

[NoraC]

We saw David Bowie in 1983 at the Anaheim Stadium. The sad thing is that after we watched the group Madness and then The Go Go's we were so tired we left during Bowie's show!!!!! Can you believe we did that?!?!?!?!

[JackieClaire]

Hello there Nora,
Reminds me when I went to see Led Zeppelin (early 70's) they were so late on stage half of us had to leave to get the bus home.

I must away to work. Byeeeeeeeeeee

[Tabbers (a.k.a. KTAB)]

Morning all.

[Tabbers (a.k.a. KTAB)]

Disappear off to work I'm afraid, be back tonight though.

[GlitzyB]

Morning army brr its cold again. One of my favorite David Bowie songs is we can be heroes.

[satz123]

yes she is --- her mam is lucky to have her lookin out for her --- think of all the old people who have no one... it's horrible

:welldone!:
Maybe that's somewhere I can give back in a Volunteer way.
Ye know help older folk fill out forms, talk to banks, doctors, Insurance companies etc - bring them to docs / hospitals etc?
Where would I start with that ? Must do some looking today.

[IamMary]

We saw David Bowie in 1983 at the Anaheim Stadium. The sad thing is that after we watched the group Madness and then The Go Go's we were so tired we left during Bowie's show!!!!! Can you believe we did that?!?!?!?!

NORA!! what a gig that was! (keep the last bit to yourself though:happy2

[IamMary]

:welldone!:
Maybe that's somewhere I can give back in a Volunteer way.
Ye know help older folk fill out forms, talk to banks, doctors, Insurance companies etc - bring them to docs / hospitals etc?
Where would I start with that ? Must do some looking today.

Citizens Information dont they have offices everywhere.

That would be a great thing to do.
Where to elderly people go? Ad ad in the post office where they could tear off your mobile number maybe.

[NoSugar]

I'd say, once an addict, always the potential to become addicted again if we use an addictive substance. We know we're at risk and it's good information to have. For example, when injured, we're very careful with painkillers. Others who've not had this experience innocently take the drugs and can become addicted - because painkillers are addictive substances.

[Mick]

I think the first thing is define what the word "addict" actually means...as soon as you hear the word thoughts automatically veer towards drugs drink and gambling..in fact the English dictionary does us no help either...their interpretation is...
a drug/heroin addict
a gambling addict

humorous.. I'm a chocolate/shopping addict.

the automatic reaction is to look at the above 3 I mentioned..as for their interpretation of humorous,both chocolate and shopping in addictive form can be life destroying..weight gain,illnesses,lack of nutrients etc...in the case of shopping poor financial self management,debt build up family breakdown,domestic issues.
so ,if we define then addiction as "the enslavement to a particular substance,subject or,lifestyle"do we then class it as a disease,or a style of living?both have their own particular followings....both I believe can be treated/changed...but as Ns said the potential will always be there to become "re addicted" or to find a replacement to become enslaved to...
molls hopes this gives you a wee bit to play with...Im orf to my fave addiction...poundland x!!!!

[starty]

I'd say, once an addict, always the potential to become addicted again if we use an addictive substance. We know we're at risk and it's good information to have. For example, when injured, we're very careful with painkillers. Others who've not had this experience innocently take the drugs and can become addicted - because painkillers are addictive substances.

Totally agree with NS here. I think we all hope that we are "cured" once we have quit anything for a period. But as SOON as that stuff activates those pesky little reward pathways in our brains we generally are away at the races without so much as a glance back. I for sure thought I was OK after a long period of abstinence and have proved again and again that is not the case as we all have.

I think with time we can reset those reward pathways so that we do not feel the constant cravings but waking them up is all too easy. So in general, I would agree with the term "once an addict always an addict" however I do not like the term addict as it conjures up all sorts of ugly connotations which in themselves can be very destructive....but that is another topic

[starty]

Satz I think volunteering is a fab idea. I did it for years and it gave me a spark that I cannot get with daily activities. It is so good to give something without expecting anything in return other than feeling good ourselves.

[NoSugar]

I think with time we can reset those reward pathways so that we do not feel the constant cravings but waking them up is all too easy. So in general, I would agree with the term "once an addict always an addict" however I do not like the term addict as it conjures up all sorts of ugly connotations which in themselves can be very destructive....but that is another topic

Starty, I think the cravings are "real" for only about a week or so when the physical addiction is still active. After that, they are more habits or thoughts. I remember being at my parents' home, where there is no alcohol, and just about going crazy b/c I had no wine. I had brought/sneaked 4 of those little bottles with me for Fri and Sat evenings, planning to have 2 each night but of course I drank all 4 on Friday... Anyway, a mini-emergency occurred that totally re-directed my thinking and like magic - the overwhelming cravings were GONE. They were just thoughts and once I stopped paying attention to them, they disappeared. I can't remember the last time I had what I called a "craving". It's crossed my mind that a glass of wine would be nice but given what I know now, it is really easy and natural to not give that another moment of my time.

I also think you're right about that "other topic" :smile: I don't like labels in general and "addict" is particularly offensive to me. We are people who were addicted to an addictive substance and have the potential to be addicted again if we use. I know it is wordy and perhaps overly PC but I, like you, don't think thinking of ourselves as addicts is at all helpful.

[IamMary]

I remember being at my parents' home, where there is no alcohol, and just about going crazy b/c I had no wine. I had brought/sneaked 4 of those little bottles with me for Fri and Sat evenings, planning to have 2 each night but of course I drank all 4 on Friday... Anyway, a mini-emergency occurred that totally re-directed my thinking and like magic - the overwhelming cravings were GONE. .

Love that analogy NS - really does show that cravings are just thoughts. This is interesting and got me thinking.

I am addicted to alcohol and I believe I always will be. There is no one glass, even if I let my mind wander there, it wants 3 glasses in that nanosecond.
I am also an ex smoker (I smoked for 15 years, 10-20 per day, gave up 12/13 years ago), but I dont consider myself addicted to smoking. I dont give it a second thought. My husband who smoked more than me and for longer, would have a cigarette at weddings, but wouldn't crave it the next day.

(I have taken various drugs during my younger years but never became addicted to them. I can take or leave chocolate, place a bet, I suppose, without craving another. Painkillers dont do it for me either).

Once an addict, always an addict, absolutely, yes of alcohol, but it doesn't make an addict or a potential addict of anything else.
I am still new so go easy on me!

[NoSugar]

I'm not convinced there is an "addictive personality", Mary. There are substances, and apparently behaviors, with addictive properties but I don't think that means everyone is wired to respond to all of them. Just like we all respond differently to different foods and there is no single "perfect diet", I suspect we all respond differently to different drugs. And maybe we each respond differently at different stages our lives given changes in biochemistry, physiology, and psychology that take place over time. I don't think I'm more likely than someone whose never been addicted to anything to become addicted to e.g. pain pills BUT this experience with alcohol has made me aware of the dangers of addictive substances (to me and everyone else).

For most drugs, there also has to be consistent exposure for an addiction to develop in most people, which is why most of us consumed alcohol "normally" for a long time before we became addicted. I get so nauseous from pain killers, I think it would be hard to expose myself enough for an addiction to develop. I hate gambling but maybe if I did it often enough (with periodic rewarding big wins), I could develop that addictive behavior.

On the other hand, there are substances such as meth, which has an addiction rate close to 100%. It's funny how alcohol addiction seems to be seen as solely the responsibility of the person, with little blame of the substance itself whereas for drugs like meth and heroin, we feel like the people were crazy to mess with it but see that the addictive drugs themselves are the cause of the problems. A couple of my friends were recently talking about some people we know who are addicted to pain pills and they perceive those people as the victims -- they were in pain and innocently became addicted to the prescribed medicines. But with alcohol, it's like we're perceived to be morally weak and at fault. Maybe it's because it's too uncomfortable to blame alcohol, which people want to consume without trepidation or guilt.

Man, I have a wandering mind today... better get back to work!!