About AlcoholismAbout Alcoholism: What is Alcoholism? The disease called Alcoholism is characterized by a craving for and a dependence on alcohol; an urge beyond the capability of the person to control. But there is so much more… it is a disease of the body, mind and spirit.
However, what that “means” is probably the more important question to ask. Alcoholism is an enormous problem in the United States because alcohol is so readily available, it’s socially acceptable and we tolerate those under the influence, even when they break the law. “I need a drink.” It’s a common statement, one that millions of Americans mutter when faced with a tough situation, or after a stressful moment. Alcoholism is a disease of the primitive part of the brain. The part that suppresses impulse control and MAKES the alcoholic HAVE to drink. Alcoholic can replace food as the primary need of the drinker. It's almost impossible to stop drinking on your own. You think you're going to stop but your brain kicks in, the cravings intensify, you have a high stress event in your life, and you start again involuntarily, your hooked! Drinking problems are VERY wide-spread The problem of Alcoholism is wide-spread. The Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University concluded: “more than half of all adults have a family history of Alcoholism or problem drinking, and more than nine million children live with a parent dependent on alcohol and/or illicit drugs.” That is a staggering piece of information. A major part of our Culture It impacts all of us!Alcoholism affects us all. Beyond the immediate family, we have friends, co-workers and neighbors. Moreover, Alcoholism and alcohol abuse are directly related to our most difficult social problems, such as crime, domestic violence, teen pregnancy. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism teaches us that a person will continue to drink even though it has serious impact on family, friends, employment, health and legal matters. The disease takes over and soon a person is slave to the alcohol. They have to take another drink. People have been known to literally drink themselves to death. Sadly, there is no cure Alcoholism cannot be cured. It will forever remain a part of a person’s makeup. However, when it comes to Alcoholism, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that alcohol can be treated and managed. Alcoholics can live successful lives. The bad news is that they are always vulnerable to relapse if they take a drink. Denial is major issue Some people will say, “I’m not an alcoholic, I’m just a problem drinker.” There is humor in this statement, but there is also serious truth. People can drink too often, drink too much and run into problems, even though they are not physically addicted. DUI, driving under the influence is huge in this country. People have been known to go to court repeatedly, yet they are not technically alcoholics. Sure, there are drunk-driving laws, but people abuse the tolerance and generosity of the court system. They will continue to drink and they will continue to drive, with or without a license. If you lock up the drunks, the jails will be filled every night. There is help. When trying to understand alcoholism one place to start is drunk driving. Most alcoholics begin to show they have the disease when they get their first DUI or drunk driving ticket. The story below thankfully doesn't happen to most alcoholics but it is an ever-present danger when someone is drinking and driving and in denial about their disease of Alcoholism. Not My Fault, I was Drunk at the TimeIt happened again last night. A man lost control of his vehicle on a city street on Milwaukee’s south side and killed a woman, while her son continued to fight for his life as this piece was written. The driver was arrested. It was reported that he had three previous DUI charges. It brought to mind an episode of NBC’s “Law and Order” about a man who got drunk on an airline flight, then ran over a man on his way home. He didn’t remember anything because he was too drunk to remember. He was remorseful. The DA, McCoy, was merciful. The evidence presented in the story told of him consuming at least 12 drinks on the plane. He had no intention of hurting or killing anyone and the defense was predicated on him not knowing, not intending to harm anyone. It all comes down to choice It all gets down to choice and personal responsibility. Only when presented with overwhelming evidence in a court of law did the defendant in the TV show display any measure of human decency and responsibility? His excuse was simply that he had no recollection of the matter, but he did know something was wrong when he had his car repaired. Does being too drunk and not remembering absolve one of responsibility? Does having a disease get you off the hook? It was an interesting show. Never forget the power of politics! In Wisconsin, we agonize over DUI. There is little, if any, political will to really deal with it. Politicians shudder at the thought of bucking the powerful Tavern League, representing countless thousands of small tavern owners, restaurants and liquor stores. Alcohol is everywhere here, from grocery stores to gas stations. Drunk drivers are dealt with mildly, as even a three-time convicted drunk can still drive. If you take his license away he’ll show you his middle finger and drive anyway. He gets a slap on the wrist and drives some more. He’ll tell you he’s not at fault because he needs his license to go to his job. He’ll continue to drink, of course. Well, at least there’s a public service announcement out there, featuring an ambulance-chasing lawyer and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, asking people to not drink and drive. People don’t take it seriously. The only treatment is incarceration. When there is a drunk driving fatality people will get up in arms. Lock the door and throw away the key. It amazes me that the conversation never gets around to treatment, or any significant form of prevention. We wait until the fourth or fifth DUI, them maybe we lock them up for a spell, just to get them off the street. They don’t get treatment, but they dry out, only to return to their old habits because they do not have any other way of dealing with life. Punishment is what is demanded, but treatment is what’s needed. Punishment is more expensive, but I suppose politically it’s more attractive because more jobs are created by an overflowing prison system. Treatment can also be limited, because prisoners learn how to work the system and skate through group sessions and 12-Step programs. We write a lot on this site about alcoholism or drug addiction as being a family disease, mainly because all members of the family have a part to play. However, it’s also a community disease because it impacts everyone, not jus the two people who were hit last night in Milwaukee. Community Approach Needed It’s all over, in every community, so we need a community approach to handling the ever-increasing numbers of people who are developing a substance use disorder. The health-care system doesn’t want anything to do with it because you can bill for drug treatment. You can bill for detoxification and sometimes with the right insurance you can cover in-patient treatment, but it’s certainly not like open heart surgery or a hip replacement. Those make money. You can’t run a warm and fuzzy PSA. Let’s face it; substance use disorder is not sexy. Why do we allow drunk drivers to refuse treatment? We allow drunk drivers to refuse treatment. We allow addicts to leave treatment. The last person who should be making those decisions is the one who needs the treatment. Naturally we need to have a little give and take to create a program that works for the individual, but all too often people walk away because they just don’t want to be in treatment. We can, of course, find them and lock them up for violation of a court order, but you can’t just keep locking people up. Jails are already overcrowded and the United States has the most incarcerated people of any developed nation. Say what you want about Alcoholics Anonymous, and I’ve heard all the negative statements and listened to countless people talk about why AA doesn’t work, but the fact is it works if you work it. That is true because there are few other programs around that require a deep, soul-searching effort and truly take a parson down the path of their own life and experience the way the AA program does. The incident in Milwaukee is one of so many that happen every day around the state and the country. Somebody is given a “break” so they continue on, doing what they do, and it’s not until they kill someone that any action is taken. The guy behind the wheel is no longer a drunk driver, he’s now a murderer. They call it vehicular manslaughter, or some other name that makes it more tolerable. Either way it’s ugly. About Alcoholism About Alcoholism About Alcoholism About Alcoholism About Alcoholism About Alcoholism About Alcoholism About Alcoholism HOW TO USE THIS SITEThis site contains five MAIN pages that EVERYONE should read: Read these five pages and learn what you need to know to spot Alcoholism in: Yourself... Your Family... Your Friends... Your Community... The rest of the pages are there for your reference to explain important topics in more detail.
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