Things I've learned about alcohol and alcoholism

Please understand that my experiences and opinions may not reflect those of a person who has chosen to quit drinking.  These ideas are intended to help guide others who want to change their drinking habits.  

By now, you've probably heard that alcoholism is a disease.  The problem that many people have with this concept, however, is that one's tendency to abuse alcohol is not a mental illness in the same way that depression is.  Depression is often treated with medication in order to offset the imbalance of certain neurotransmitters, but there is no "alcoholism pill."  In other words, addictions to substances such as alcohol are due to behavior.  Sure, some people may be likely to fall into the same drinking patterns as their parents and/or grandparents.  But no matter how you define it, alcoholism is only conceptually a disease.  

It's much easier and convenient to deal with life's problems and misfortunes by being able to blame them on something other than our own choices.  If you drink too much and your life starts going downhill as a result, it's comforting to think that it's because you have a disease.  But there are problems with accepting this "disease model" of alcoholism.  First of all, it isn't going to keep you out of jail if you get drunk, crash your car, and injure or kill someone.  The law (and common sense, in my opinion) rules that you made the decision to consume alcohol to a state of intoxication and then operate a motor vehicle.  Sure, one's inhibitions may be lowered when he or she climbs behind the wheel after drinking too much, but that person is still legally and morally liable for his or her actions.

I believe that whether one's goal is to learn to safely moderate drinking or to give it up completely, an honest choice needs to be made.  A variety of events may occur prior to that decision.  Sometimes fear is the catalyst; the drinker gets charged with driving under the influence or his significant other issues and ultimatum that things must change.  Fear can influence us, but it may not convince us that change is actually necessary.  Unfortunately, it often takes longer for that realization to occur.  We may need a bit more maturity along with some serious introspection (we take a good, hard look at ourselves and realize we need - and want - to change.)  This is understandably difficult because we have convinced ourselves that our habits aren't necessarily bad ones.  Remember the old "I'm not a drunk, I just like to have a good time" mentality?  Our youth can condition us to accept bad habits as normal and fun.  I went to college, and there was beer there.  Lots of it.  If you were too young to go to drink legally, the guys having keg parties didn't care.  Just give 'em three bucks and you were in!  You'd have a bottomless cup of beer for the entire evening.  Those are fun times for a lot of young adults, and old habits die hard.  

I like the idea of moderation when it comes to changing one's drinking habits, but I also want to warn anyone who entertains it as an alternative to abstinence.  This is essential if you truly desire to be successful!  Here it is: if you are not willing to change your approach to drinking, you are lying to yourself.  When I say "change your approach" I mean that you have to be willing to accept the idea that drinking can be enjoyable when you only have one or two drinks at a time.  The responsible approach is not just for show.  You can't drink like a gentleman in front of your wife and then go out and get rip-roaring drunk when you're with your buddies on the weekend.  You will probably just fall back into the same habits because you were just telling other people what they wanted to hear.  If you have not divorced yourself from the idea that pounding drink after drink is recreational and fun, you are not ready to learn moderation.  

It is flat-out irresponsible to let anyone believe that drinking responsibly is as easy as following the directions on a box of cake mix.  Discipline and commitment are needed, so if you have any doubts about your willingness to commit and change your habits, you aren't ready.  Stop drinking for a month or more and see how you feel.  Don't have a drink again until you can get used to living without it.  I like to think of it as "drying out your brain."  I learned a lot about how much of a habit drinking had become for me when I stopped doing it for a while.  I also learned to relax without it before reintroducing it into my life.