Re: Alcoholism, Alcohol Tolerance, and genetics: the "hangover" gene

Jimmieorb, 29919, You guys are right as far as you take it. You just don’t take it far enough.

I am in complete agreement that alcoholism is the product of habitually poor choices. I drank all I could get as long as I could, until I couldn’t get away with it anymore. I didn’t start out as an alcoholic, but I am one now. And I did it to myself.

To look a man in the eye who just like me wakes up in the morning, and the very first thought in his mind is “When can I start drinking, how much can I drink, and how can I get away with it?” And tell him he needs to exercise his will on this thing. Just tough it out like John Wayne. I think we all know how that is going to work out. That man will be drunk within a week, no matter how much he may need to stop.

Anyone who is a hopeless alcoholic understand the truth of that statement. Call it a disease, or call it lack of will power, or call it anything that suites you, but most alcoholics never get and stay sober. Most alcoholics after a short period of painful lack of alcohol in their system, will drink just to preserve their sanity. It is that powerful.

Most sober drunks that I know don’t talk about the “It runs in families” side of the equation. They focus on what they need to do today to stay sober. They don’t spend a lot of time on the question “how did the jackass get in the ditch.” They spend their time on the more important question, “How do I get the jackass out of the ditch.” In my opinion, a much smarter use of one’s time.

29919, I don’t know if you are an alcoholic, doesn’t really matter. But if alcohol has wrecked your life like it has mine, you know that you are one drink away from alcoholic oblivion. To start drinking again, I would be right back where I was in no time at all.
And so would every other hopeless sot I ever met. Once I start drinking, I cannot or will not stop drinking until I run out of something. Sometimes I ran out of booze, sometimes I ran out of money, but mostly I just ran out of consciousness. Call it a disease, call it what you will, but if staying sober involves using terms like “recovering,” then where is the harm.

p.s. there really is a familiar relationship. Adopted children of alcoholics, who are raised in non drinking families, develop alcoholism at a rate much higher that the population at large. It’s a fact. Knowing that fact doesn’t fix anything, but it’s still true.

Richard
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