Wednesday, March 22, 2017

To Thine Own Self Be True

Regardless of what led you there, if every fiber of your being obsessively craves booze every single day, I think you'll never beat that.  You'll never make that urge go away completely. You may stop drinking because you decide that it isn't worth the trouble, but proof suggests you won't stop drinking because you no longer crave it.


So, too much alcohol will ruin a life, but if you crave it so badly, what kind of life do you have without it?  Seems like alcoholics ultimately have a choice between two kinds of unhappiness.

Or do they?  Is it better to spend your days as a functioning adult tortured in denial of your strongest craving, or as a homeless drunk who always satisfies the urge?  

I've seen people give it all up for the booze, and pitiful as it may be, I think you could make the case that all they did was follow their instinct.  

2 comments:

RonW said...

the body can get physically addicted to alcohol, get the shakes and all that, I mean it's not only a mental thing abstaining from liquor. But that's not to say there aren't functioning alcoholics, with some awesome will power. For example I knew some alcoholics that wouldn't drink during the weekdays so they wouldn't miss work, but they start drinking on a Friday night at the neighborhood bar and close the bar. After I struggle to get up on Saturday, the next day, I stop in at the neighborhood bar, and I see them in the bar. The only difference with me and them is that they've been drinking at home all night around the clock while I was passed out. But by how they sound when they talk, it would appear that they just had their first two beers all week. Anyways, they close the bar on Saturday night and they go home and drink all night again. By Sunday, I'm feeling it bad so I just stop in the bar for a few to shake off the flee that bit the dog, so to speak. These same people same thing they've been drink all night non-stop. The alcoholics drink to 4 o'clock Sun. afternoon, then call it quits until Friday night when they start the booze marathon (strategy) all over again. Btw, my internet was off from Mar. 5th until just a few days ago, due to technical issues so the ISP said.

blournalist said...

Right - totally forgot to mention the cravings and shakes, etc. I know a guy who used to get the shakes. I didn't set this up properly and I think I'll edit it for posterity. This post was inspired by the story of a person I know (just an acquaintance), who I would assume was well past the physical addiction stage. Hadn't had a drink in probably 20 years, then ruined it all in one night. Wrecked his life. And, a few years on, still off the wagon as far as anyone can tell.

Sounds to me like a lifelong struggle, everyday clutching that coin in your pocket and thinking "I want a drink. I shouldn't have a drink. I want a drink. I shouldn't have a drink." What a tough life. It's got to mess with your happiness.

I've known those professional weekenders like you describe. The flip side of that is when the boss comes to you Monday AM and politely advises that you smell like a distillery just from sweating out the weekend binge. What I'm saying is, I think you need to choose the right career to really pull that kind of thing off.

Welcome back to the internet.