Today I want to talk about Alcoholism.
It is a horrible addiction and will cause you to be someone you don’t want to be. It will cause you to lie and deceive both friends and family. It will cause major ups and downs–mostly downs. It will cause distrust with those that care about you. It will cause you to lose stability, homes, jobs, and income.
When you have a drinking problem, one of the hardest things you will ever do is say, “I need help” or “I have a problem.” My Dad once said to me that it takes a big man to know he is wrong and an even bigger man to say he is wrong. To mankind one of the most difficult things to do is admit being wrong.
Contrary to what many say–Alcoholism is an addiction, not a disease. The reason I say this is because Alcoholism is all about me. I have a choice whether to drink or not. If I never take that first drink, I will never be an Alcoholic. If I do have a drinking problem, I can fix it. It doesn’t require surgery or any special medicines. It requires me to say “I’ve had enough.” A disease is something like cancer or heart issues, etc. With a disease, I have no choice to make whether I get it or not. It just happens. Many times a disease will require a Doctor’s attention, special medicines and even surgery. There is a similarity with addiction and disease. If not addressed–They WILL kill you!!
Once an Alcoholic makes that decision to stop drinking, that is just the beginning of a very long road that won’t end until death. There will be mood swings, some depression and many ups and downs. The Alcoholic will need forgiveness, understanding, stability and love from both family and friends. He/she will need to stand on there own, yet, be propped up from time to time AND above all they will need encouragement not judgement.
You see I can say all this because I have experience. I have had a drinking problem (31 years sober) that I overcame with the help of my family, friends and especially my wife. I am one of the fortunate ones that didn’t need detox or rehab. I caught it early enough and had stable people around me to solve the problem
You see, I can say all of this because, I have experience. 11 years ago I had a heart attack. I couldn’t fix this myself. It took the Doctor’s expert knowledge and some special medicine to overcome the problem.
That my friends is the difference between addiction and disease. Today I have a wonderful life, even though I live with both problems in my body.
SMILE God loves YOU!!! Have a good day all.
Good message, Dick.
Thanks