Drinking

[y2000]

QUOTE]Originally posted by granpabob
sorry alcohol already ruined my life once. thanks to AA I have a chance. why promote drinking all it can do is ruin lives [/QUOTE]

Not everyone's life centers on alcohol. I don't drink but I see no reason why in moderation others can't.

Promoting alcohol is not the same as drinking it. You have at some point the choice to say no.

[Night Owl]

I have a great deal of respect for people who don't drink, for whatever the reason - but I also agree "Promoting alcohol is not the same as drinking it. "

[ESP]

Alcohol has ruined alot in my life too... my dad died from alcoholism, my mom passed last month from complications that could have probably been avoided if she hadn't drank the way she did, my husband is a recovering alcoholic (almost 6 years clean) and I have alcoholic tendencies.

While I do not allow alcohol in my house and neither of us drink anymore, I do still hang out with people who sip the occasional glass of wine with dinner or indulge in a few cocktails with friends. Moderation is the key.

[WNYresident]

Moderation is the key.

Yep

[Riven37]

Oh brother ! don't get me started.....

[Dino330]

As the wise Homer Simpson once said, "Here's to alcohol! The cause of... AND solution to... all of life's problems."

I'm sure we all know somebody whose life revolves around boozing. It doesn't make them bad people; alcoholism is a disease. You can't blame alcohol for the problems these people have. That's like blaming the gun when somebody gets shot.

All you need to do is know when to say when and don't get behind the wheel of a car. If you can't do either then put the bottle down.

Personally, I love knocking a few back and watching the hockey game. It's legal and my choice, so I do not feel like hearing some preaching about the evils of alcohol.

But hey, to each his own.

[Downstate Buffaloian]

I agree that some people should not go near it, but that's true with any addictive thing. Some can do it with moderation. One member of my family had a gambling addiction and I know that I inherited that tendancy. Therefore I stay away from casinos, racetracks and the lottery. However I have no such tendancy with alcohol. In fact not being able to enjoy a beer at an Irish pub or some icewine with my wife when we go to Niagara on the Lake would make life less enjoyable. It's up to you to know what your limits and weaknesss are.

[Dino330]

Originally posted by Downstate Buffaloian
I agree that some people should not go near it, but that's true with any addictive thing. Some can do it with moderation. One member of my family had a gambling addiction and I know that I inherited that tendancy. Therefore I stay away from casinos, racetracks and the lottery. However I have no such tendancy with alcohol. In fact not being able to enjoy a beer at an Irish pub or some icewine with my wife when we go to Niagara on the Lake would make life less enjoyable. It's up to you to know what your limits and weaknesss are.

Well said.

[WNYresident]

It doesn't make them bad people; alcoholism is a disease.

It's a weakness it's not a disease. A disease is something you can catch just sitting in your chair. A weakness is because you have to pick up the bottle. THey only call it a disease so they can get the tax payer to fund another "disease" program.

[Dino330]

Call it whatever you want, but you also can't catch Sickel Cell Anemia or Cerebral Palsy.
I have no problem with the government using my tax dollars to fund a program for people with this 'weakness.' In fact, I think it is a fantastic use of tax dollars. People get the help they need and a way to get their lives back on track.
Call it a weakness. These programs give alcoholics the strength they need to fight it. Call it a disease. The programs help cure people of their alcoholism. Call it an addiction. The programs give people the support needed to have the will power to fight off the psychological and physical cravings.

It's not as simple as "Stop drinking," as anyone who is or knows an alcoholic can tell you.

[Night Owl]

http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/info2/a/aa030597.htm

http://pages.preferred.com/~sophie/Alco.htm

http://www.physiciansnews.com/commentary/298wp.html

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ase-57608.html

This is the best one - http://www.losingtom.org/alcoholism/disease.html - it cites the U.S. Public Health Service, American Medical Association, Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act of 1970 is a U.S. law, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, (just to name a few who state it is a disease)

THey only call it a disease so they can get the tax payer to fund another "disease" program.

So that you know, "Denial" isn't just a river in Egypt.

[WNYresident]

That's thier opinion. And you are allowed to have one. My opinion is it's a weakness.

Call it whatever you want, but you also can't catch Sickel Cell Anemia or Cerebral Palsy.

Your 100% right but can you pick up a device (bottle) and give yourself Cerebral Palsy or Sickel Cell Anemia?

[Night Owl]

That's there opinion. And you are allowed to have one. My opinion is it's a weakness.

Only thing is, my opinion is based on extensive and lengthy medical studies. I would generally gauge my opinion based on how the United States Government and well-educated doctors see it. I'll back out of this thread now.

[300miles]

Heart disease can be caused by improper diet. You can't 'catch it'. And yet it is still a disease.

People have difficulty looking and mental problems as diseases but they are. If you're spleen develops problems they have no problem calling it a disease, but if the problem is your brain, then it's just a "weakness". That is why people don't seek help when they really should... they don't want to be called Weak. There shouldn't be all this stigma around it.

[Dino330]

Your 100% right but can you pick up a device (bottle) and give yourself Cerebral Palsy or Sickel Cell Anemia?

I was just showing how not all diseases are contagious. 300miles gave a better example with heart disease.

Disease, weakness, addiction... I don't care what it's called. It's an unhealthy physical and psychological trait.