can alcoholics ever drink agin?

[wooger]

as the therea says really

 

[Roger&Me]

I think it depends entirely on the alcoholic.

I remember the former P&S mod MyDoorsAreOpen commented that people who have a history of moderate/controllable drinking tend to be able to successfully drink again in moderation, while people who have always been "all or nothing" regarding their drinking tend to not be able to do so. That made a lot of sense to me, and seemed to be quite true.

I think it really depends on what your relationship with alcohol is like, and what alcohol means to you personally.

 

[Legerity]

Some people are able to. Like Roger&Me said, if you are only able to perceive drinking as an opportunity to binge, then it will be difficult to drink small amounts. If you do not believe that you must necessarily "lose control" after having a drink, then you will have a better chance of moderating.

If you know why you drink more than you want to (i.e. stress, depression, socializing, etc.) and are able deal with the cause of it, it will be much easier to drink less.

If you are going to attempt to moderate your alcohol consumption then it may not be in your best interest to label yourself an alcoholic. The word itself implies an inability to moderate drinking.

 

[Lord]

It depends. Possibly, but it could be very risky (I wouldn't).

Smoking (cigs), I think, is another story.

 

[burn out]

studies have been done on this and i wish i could post one i saw recently but im not gonna go bother looking for it now (i may have actually seen it on bluelight actually). however i can summarize the results.

basically they found that the vast majority of alcoholics could not return to moderate drinking. of those who tried, after a 10 year follow up 90% (i believe it was 90 precent) of them had either relapsed back into alcoholism or gone back to total sobriety.

 

[Treacle1]

Apparentley some alcoholics are able to practice controlled drinking , I know from experience that I'm definitely not one of them!
In most cases I reckon you' d be playing with fire. Xxxx

 

[panic in paradise]

yeah fire, and anything else you can use as an object of demolition.
hahah

shits fukd man, it aint right...



Mass~Hypnosis

"Tens of thousands hypnotized
Trying to find a reason why
Look inside your empty eyes
Obey 'till the end
Looking inside, Your future uncertain
The fear grows as a sickness uncured
The silence agonizes, The word sound"

 

[versd]

none should
some can

usually the reasons that drove someone to abuse alcohol are still there hiding below the surface of a recovering addict. doesnt take too much to let that demon out again, and tempting it with the attempt at moderation usually just ends in disaster.

 

[Legerity]

none should
some can

usually the reasons that drove someone to abuse alcohol are still there hiding below the surface of a recovering addict. doesnt take too much to let that demon out again, and tempting it with the attempt at moderation usually just ends in disaster.

This is because the recovery programs that tell people they can never drink again do not usually focus on removing the underlying reasons. Just sayin

 

[User Name Here]

studies have been done on this and i wish i could post one i saw recently but im not gonna go bother looking for it now (i may have actually seen it on bluelight actually). however i can summarize the results.

basically they found that the vast majority of alcoholics could not return to moderate drinking. of those who tried, after a 10 year follow up 90% (i believe it was 90 precent) of them had either relapsed back into alcoholism or gone back to total sobriety.

This. I've seen similar (if not the same) studies. It's very rare when a person can return to their D.O.C. (including alcohol) once they have experienced a full blown addiction. It's better to be safe than sorry and not touch it. I know I could never dabble with opiates again...

 

[Fight Club]

This is because the recovery programs that tell people they can never drink again do not usually focus on removing the underlying reasons. Just sayin

Yes they do. Try the 12 steps. BTW, only the first one mentions alcohol. The rest address the spiritual disease that leads us to drink or drug.

FC

 

[Legerity]

Yes they do. Try the 12 steps. BTW, only the first one mentions alcohol. The rest address the spiritual disease that leads us to drink or drug.

FC

Well I've gone to meetings for longer than I care to admit. What bothers me is that substance use is somehow singled out as being the result of a spiritual disease, when in reality the majority of the world is spiritually disconnected and engaging in behaviors that could be considered a form of self-medication. Some people just happen to find ways that are socially acceptable.

I prefer a form of spirituality that does not encourage fear. Here is a quote from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (p.174):

"Unless each A.A. member follows to the best of his ability our suggested Twelve Steps to recovery, he almost certainly signs his own death warrant. His drunkenness and dissolution are not penalties inflicted by people in authority; they result from his personal disobedience to spiritual principles".

I mean, really?? Is it really not possible for people to find their own spiritual path without the 12 steps? I'm pretty sure Buddhism and Hinduism existed a long time ago.

Meetings do have a lot to offer. A huge social support network, the opportunity to hear other people's stories and to share our own. I won't deny that these things can help a lot of people.

So no, I don't feel the 12-steps address the underlying issues for everybody. Maybe for some people, sure. But every person has their own story and has their own reason for doing what they do. Some people may do better focusing on psychological rather than spiritual principles. Unless there is acceptance of individuality then there will be many people who are left out.

 

[xxkcxx]

This is because the recovery programs that tell people they can never drink again do not usually focus on removing the underlying reasons. Just sayin

how would they change brain chemistry?

 

[Legerity]

how would they change brain chemistry?

By changing how they think/feel. Thoughts and emotions affect our brain chemistry, everything does. Nobody has a static brain there are numerous processing going on from moment to moment.

And I suppose AA does change thought patterns. But to me it is changing one incorrect belief with another, for example:

"I need to drink to feel good and can't live without it"

changes to..

"I am an alcoholic/addict for the rest of my life and cannot consume any mind-altering substance again, except caffeine or nicotine which do not follow the law of addiction like other substances"

So this new way of thinking can stop somebody from consuming alcohol. But it is based on the idea that there is some inherent insurmountable difference between that person and other people who are able to drink "normally". So somebody may be better off than before they stopped drinking, but it does not mean it's true.

Some people may react more strongly to alcohol or enjoy the effects more, but there is nobody whose body has an actual physiological need to consume alcohol once they have one drink. They may want another drink more than anything else in the world, but their body does not need it to survive.

If somebody is conditioned to always follow through on their impulses, they may feel they have no choice but to continue to drink. But think of it like an emotion...if somebody has a tendency to experience rage then they will have to learn ways to avoid expressing it in ways that are harmful to other people. An alcohol buzz is just like an emotional state, and people can learn to respond to it differently.

It doesn't mean it's easy or even desirable to do so. It may be simpler just to not drink at all. The only reason I take issue with this is because many people are told that it is an impossibility which then necessitates the forever-an-addict identity, which I feel does more harm than good for some people.

 

[xxkcxx]

Pleasure reward pathways change.

Also for me it's not just that I CAN'T, it's that I don't HAVE to. Addiction kept me trapped in using despite wanting more than anything to not. I did not enjoy being in jail, being in treatment, having all my possessions sold or repossessed. I can remember crying over a plate of dope because I just didn't want to do it, but I still did. Because I felt like I had to. And when I relapsed a few months ago, I wanted that first drink and drug, but most of the ones after it I certainly didn't.

I'm the kind of person who can't stop unless physically forced to such as in jail or treatment. There surely people who abuse alcohol and drugs who can go back to occasional use, but I would say that real alcoholics or addicts can only do it for so long before things go to shit.

 

[Carver Slice]

I used to drink alcoholically for a number of years, it got me into a lot of trouble physically and emotionally. It used to be fun when I was younger, but I always drank too much. I've noticed as I've gotten older that I'm more likely to black-out and the hangovers seem much worse. Even with my first drink now it makes me feel shitty, and generally depressed. After a few relapses I've come to the conclusion that alcohol and me just don't work.

Personally I don't go to AA/NA groups unless I'm forced to, but if it works for some people all the power to them. When it comes down to it I just decided for myself that I cannot drink. The negatives out weigh the positives and it's not a lifestyle I choose to live anymore. After sobering up for awhile and seeing how much my life and relationship has improved I wouldn't trade my state of being for anything in the world.

Maybe some alcoholics can drink again, but it doesn't seem to be in the cards for me.

 

[paranoid android]

Well i was a raging alcoholic for years and i quit and could drink a beer or a few and not get triggered too much. But ive always found it a slippery slope because after awile i start liking the effects of alcohol again and i end up getting drunk if i don't put the breaks on it.

I got bad there for awile the summer when i was going through alot of shit. I went on my first bender in about 9 years and i stayed drunk for 4 really shitty days. I got drunk a few more times over the summer but i stopped and now i havent had so much as a beer since around the first of august. I don't really want one either because i can't go back to that living hell that was alcoholism. So fuck dat shit

All the same i have seen some alcoholics who have been quit for years have a beer or whatever and stop no problem. Most addictive drugs are like this really i mean ive seen ex junkies take a dose of opiates and not go back to using all the time. I havent seen any former coke head who could do a few lines, smoke a rock or 2 or do a IV shot without ending up on a binge but i think thats just the really compulsive aspect of coke.

So in my opinion it depends on the person. Some alcoholics can drink a beer or something and be fine others drink a beer and end up staying drunk for a week or until something makes them stop again.

 

[Legerity]

Pleasure reward pathways change.

Also for me it's not just that I CAN'T, it's that I don't HAVE to. Addiction kept me trapped in using despite wanting more than anything to not. I did not enjoy being in jail, being in treatment, having all my possessions sold or repossessed. I can remember crying over a plate of dope because I just didn't want to do it, but I still did. Because I felt like I had to. And when I relapsed a few months ago, I wanted that first drink and drug, but most of the ones after it I certainly didn't.

Yeah I know that feeling...I remember looking at a handful of pills that I was about to swallow and wanting to cry because I just didn't want to but was going to do it anyways. Not a good feeling. Need to do whatever works for you