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Try being an alcoholic for a few years. You might think differently about it whenever you (hopefully) get back to sobriety.

by gexla 3y ago

ThrowAway1922A 3y ago
Yah, it’s not so glamorous when you wake up in your own vomit like I did yesterday, with no memory of throwing up. I learned to sleep on my stomach a while ago
throwaway1777 3y ago
Well there’s alcoholic and functional alcoholic. There are actually functional heroin users too, but it’s taboo to mention it because one hit and you’re dead according to the media.
- gexla 3y ago
  The binary "functional" vs "non-functional" is not a good way to understand such a complex thing. I don't care where on the spectrum you lie, if you're drinking substantial amounts of alcohol daily (this isn't necessarily the definition of alcoholic) then your normal activities and well-being are getting seriously affected. You could use a similar comparison for suffering in general (chronic illness, chronic pain, etc.) Some may appear more functional than others while in such conditions. Just because you're functional with chronic pain, doesn't mean you aren't hurting and that your life would be very different without that suffering. Edit: Spelling
- thoughtegting 3y ago
  Personal take: I think medicine has historically been about categorizing symptoms, patterns etc into diseases (adhd for example). I'm not condoning or encouraging or saying "go do heroin if it works for you" etc but... a problem for you may not be a problem for me - and its all relative to the individual. I've lived in Boston and Wisconsin and I couldn't stop laughing when I read how many drinks/week are considered to be alcoholic considering how ritual it is for a lot of folks in those areas.
sundvor 3y ago
Wasn't a heavy drinker by a long shot but still decided to quit nearly 3 years ago. Solid decision. I'm 50 now, I certainly feel better overall now than then. If I'm tired in the morning it's only because I went to bed too late and/or lifted (too?) heavy the day before.
ehPReth 3y ago
I'm well on my way.

Try being an alcoholic for a few years. You might think differently about it whenever you (hopefully) get back to sobriety.

by gexla 3y ago

Try being an alcoholic for a few years. You might think differently about it whenever you (hopefully) get back to sobriety.

ThrowAway1922A 3y ago

Yah, it’s not so glamorous when you wake up in your own vomit like I did yesterday, with no memory of throwing up. I learned to sleep on my stomach a while ago

throwaway1777 3y ago

Well there’s alcoholic and functional alcoholic. There are actually functional heroin users too, but it’s taboo to mention it because one hit and you’re dead according to the media.

gexla 3y ago
The binary "functional" vs "non-functional" is not a good way to understand such a complex thing. I don't care where on the spectrum you lie, if you're drinking substantial amounts of alcohol daily (this isn't necessarily the definition of alcoholic) then your normal activities and well-being are getting seriously affected. You could use a similar comparison for suffering in general (chronic illness, chronic pain, etc.) Some may appear more functional than others while in such conditions. Just because you're functional with chronic pain, doesn't mean you aren't hurting and that your life would be very different without that suffering. Edit: Spelling
thoughtegting 3y ago
Personal take: I think medicine has historically been about categorizing symptoms, patterns etc into diseases (adhd for example). I'm not condoning or encouraging or saying "go do heroin if it works for you" etc but... a problem for you may not be a problem for me - and its all relative to the individual. I've lived in Boston and Wisconsin and I couldn't stop laughing when I read how many drinks/week are considered to be alcoholic considering how ritual it is for a lot of folks in those areas.

sundvor 3y ago

Wasn't a heavy drinker by a long shot but still decided to quit nearly 3 years ago. Solid decision. I'm 50 now, I certainly feel better overall now than then. If I'm tired in the morning it's only because I went to bed too late and/or lifted (too?) heavy the day before.

ehPReth 3y ago

I'm well on my way.