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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery



Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 95,368
Loc: underbelly
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I still don't understand how thinking that a night could be a lot more enjoyable with a little bit to drink is wrong. What seperates alcohol and, say, video games, marijuana, sex, movies?
Never said that.
I don't really think I have many problems at all
I don't really believe this. So why did you post this silly topic if you were not at all concerned here? I'm getting mixed messages. Usually mixed messages appear because someone is not being honest.
(and let's say for argument's sake health isn't a factor),
Lets just say for arguments sake that nothing that can harm you is a factor. That works even better.
So then it's a matter of situation.
And of course you find yourself in that "situation" quite often. Wow what a funny coincidence.
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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Amber_Glow
Sat Chit Anand


Registered: 09/02/02
Posts: 1,543
Last seen: 10 years, 10 months
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Hi Anarcho! You sound a lot like me. I am a 23 year old college student majoring in philosophy! Although my GPA is a little higher at 3.7! :P Are you in the Northeast?
I also have gone through periods of mild addiction. I have always been able to function fine and get by. At one point I also saw myself as not addicted. Addiction is not nonaddict vs. addict, it is not a black and white classification but it is a range of degree.
By the sound of things you sound to have an addiction to some degree. I have gone through multiple addictions and/or are going through them. You should at least be honest with yourself and realize you are involved in addictive patterned behavior. Addiction does not necessarily need to be ruining your life, but if its controlling your life in some way, or influencing your decisions than I would say yes, you are an addict. Do you sometimes feel you need to drink to have fun? Would the night be more fun with a couple drinks? Would it seem a waste of a night to not drink? Would your fun be spoiled if there were no alcohol available? Etc.
At one point I paired my alcohol addiction with a cocaine addiction. Having to deal with an even more powerful addiction like cocaine really gave me some insight into the nature of addiction. So pick up a cocaine habit if you really want to see addiction in action! 
Anywho just be honest with yourself. "I have, at least, a mild alcohol addiction". This doesn't mean you even have to stop, but you should at least be aware of what is going on, and not deceiving yourself.
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AnarchoTrip
Young Blood



Registered: 03/26/07
Posts: 2,649
Last seen: 14 years, 3 months
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Re: Am I an Alcoholic? [Re: Amber_Glow]
#7588558 - 11/02/07 04:36 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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I have an addiction; to clarify things.
But where's the problem in that? I don't mean to sound like I'm rationalizing my way out of my problems, but I feel like people stigmatize addictive substances (alcohol, cigarettes, other drugs) too readily.
This may be a bit of a stretch, but compare a "bad" addiction (booze) to an "unrecognized" addiction (tv, grades, cars, etc.) Yeah, it's not the best analogy, but I feel like it gets my point across that we're all addicted to SOMETHING. I agree, the "problem" arises once these addictions start causing problems at work, school, relationships, whatever. If someone is ruining themselves financially because they NEED the next season of the hottest TV series on DVD (again, stretching the analogy) then it's a problem. my family has completely destroyed their socialness with each other because they're all 'addicted' to the television.
It is a matter of "situation" in the fact that, as long as the drinking is in an appropriate setting and not causing problems, who cares the frequency or the amount? Obviously frequency and quantity contribute to the "situation," but they still have the capability of being "flexible."
Icelander, with my excuse of "(and let's say for argument's sake health isn't a factor)" is because I'm not that concerned about my health. Many people value health--a long life--I value other things. That's why I said to ignore health, because I do. I recognize that the majority of people argue against drinking because of the health issues--I dont.
hope this clarified my argument. Thanks for your input as always.
-------------------- YIPPIE!
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Diploid
Cuban



Registered: 01/09/03
Posts: 19,274
Loc: Rabbit Hole
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But where's the problem in that?
There's no intrinsic problem with that, but there may well be a problem with how it affects you. That you're asking about this at all suggests to me that it's affecting you in a way you don't like.
That's the beginnings of problem, in my book.
-------------------- Republican Values: 1) You can't get married to your spouse who is the same sex as you. 2) You can't have an abortion no matter how much you don't want a child. 3) You can't have a certain plant in your possession or you'll get locked up with a rapist and a murderer. 4) We need a smaller, less-intrusive government.
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MarkostheGnostic
Elder


Registered: 12/09/99
Posts: 14,279
Loc: South Florida
Last seen: 3 years, 2 days
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Re: Am I an Alcoholic? [Re: Diploid]
#7589043 - 11/02/07 06:53 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Diploid said: Are you looking for a clinical diagnosis
I don't think an internet thread is sufficient for a clinical diagnosis of anything at all. But what do I know...
You're partly right. I have made diagnoses based on anecdotal evidence supplied by subjects and those close to the subject. However, I did witness several of my high school acquaintances develop cirrhotic livers by the time they were 21 years old. They began drinking at 15 and in 5 years, the weekends had expanded from Friday afternoons to Sunday nights - solidly. After one of them suicided (another story, but one which contributed to my later career in crisis intervention), the others went on the wagon, joined AA, etc. They hadn't had a drink for almost 30 years at our last high school reunion in 2001. They were still alive, had lives and wives, etc.
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MarkostheGnostic
Elder


Registered: 12/09/99
Posts: 14,279
Loc: South Florida
Last seen: 3 years, 2 days
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Quote:
AnarchoTrip said: series of opinions. i don't really care about a diagnosis here.
Then you don't want to hear from me. I'm a Master Addictions Counselor (MAC), certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors. I've been working as an addictions counselor since 1982.
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NiamhNyx
I'm NOT a 'he'


Registered: 09/01/02
Posts: 3,198
Last seen: 14 years, 8 months
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You may not care about your health when your 19 and in your prime, but when you start looking around and noticing all the people in thier 30's and 40's and 50's that never got over thier party days and are still killing thier livers, they look like shit and it's kind of sad and pathetic. People who maintain that level of substance abuse fall apart. They don't look like rebels anymore, they look like they've destroyed themselves and have nothing to live for anymore. Sure you look like a badass with a cigarette in your hand and the ability to hold extreme amounts of booze right now, but it just isn't that impressive when you're 40.
But you're going to do what you're going to do. Enjoy it while you can. You'll probably get bored eventually.
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