Author Topic: What is an alcoholic?  (Read 6340 times)

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Offline AACameToBe

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What is an alcoholic?
« on: August 03, 2012, 10:53:46 PM »
What is an alcoholic?
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What is an alcoholic?

Postby btnben » Mon Jul 09, 2012 1:18 pm
There was a thread on the OP called this and Orange gave a great reply which I have seen from him several times before. It's a classic example of AA doublespeak squared (is that quadruplespeak? :D ). Orange distilled the different answers to the above question that Bill W gave to suit the whole bait and switch game.

The definitions are:

1. An alcoholic is someone who habitually drinks far too much alcohol.

2. An alcoholic is someone who is hyper-sensitive to alcohol, almost allergic to alcohol, perhaps a genetic alcoholic; someone who cannot drink even one drink or his drinking will spin out of control and he will become readdicted to alcohol.

3. An alcoholic is somebody who cannot quit drinking — he is "powerless" over alcohol.

4. An alcoholic is an insane sinner who is full of disgusting character defects and moral shortcomings and resentments and barely-contained anger, and is a prime example of self-will run riot and instincts run wild and selfishness and self-seeking and the Seven Deadly Sins, although he doesn't think so... etc., etc., ...

When I call myself an alcoholic, I usually mean definition 2, and only occasionally
definition 1, but never definitions 3 or 4.


By definition 1, I stopped being an alcoholic more than 11 years ago.

By definition 2, I will always be an alcoholic.

By definition 3, I wasn't an alcoholic, because I could quit drinking, and I did.
I was not "powerless over alcohol".
I even quit drinking without any help from A.A., because I quit drinking two weeks before I was ever sent to an A.A. meeting.

By definition 4, I was never an alcoholic. I was always a nice drunk.
People liked having me at their parties because I was so much fun to have around when I got high. (But, as one friend said, "Even nice drunks die of cirrhosis of the liver...")


How about you? Which type, or combination thereof, are you?

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Re: What is an alcoholic?

Postby Avo » Mon Jul 09, 2012 3:53 pm
As much as I would like to play this game, I am not nor was ever alcoholic. Darn it, Ben. Oh wait, unless I'm #4 or whatever where I'm just the kind that doesn't drink but is full of sin and would :o if I decided to start drinking.
Pro Empowerment!

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Re: What is an alcoholic?

Postby BB Kate » Wed Aug 01, 2012 7:16 am
Today i tend to use definition number 1. I haven't been an alcoholic for over 8 years though.

I was never an alcoholic according to definitions 3 or four.

I'm not sure about definition 2. I have no idea whether i can never drink safely again or not. I suspect i would be vulnerable to re-addiction. BUt i hate the "allergy" concept, and refuse to use it.
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