Alcohol and Sickness

With drinking, there are four directions in which it is possible to go. It is possible to have a problem and think that one has a problem. It is possible to have a problem and think that one does not have a problem. It is possible to have no problem and think that one has a problem. And it is possible to have no problem and think that one does not have a problem.

If you have no problem and think that you do not have a problem: You're fine. If you have a problem and think that you don't have a problem: You're in denial. If you have no problem and think that you have a problem: You're hypochondriac. And if you have a problem and think that you have a problem: you need help.

It is possible to test whether or not you have a problem. Commit yourself to drinking one glass a day for a week. If you can pull it off without negative consequences, you are fine. If you cannot pull it off, seek help.

There is nothing wrong or shameful with seeking help. In Alexander Pope's words, do not be ashamed to admit your mistakes; all it means is that you are a wiser person today than you were yesterday. The problem is that not all of the solutions out there are for everyone. Alcoholics Anonymous wants people to quit drinking completely. This is overkill. Most people can have a glass of wine for dinner or some beer while watching a football game without experiencing negative consequences. Alcoholics Anonymous is for those people who cannot manage alcohol. Admitting this is not shameful, and doing so does not make one a loser. It simply means that one has a problem and wants to fix it, which involves much more courage and honesty than letting problems fester.

Is alcoholism, as AA people say, a disease? There are clearly people with genetic predisposition for alcoholism, such as American Natives and Australian Aborigines; but then there are many others who simply do not know how to handle their liquor. Somewhere along the way they lost control and became unable to manage their drinking consumption. I see no problem with seeing that as an illness and treating it through group therapy. However the message that all alcohol consumption is symptomatic of an illness is a wrong one.

The less becomes the stigma of alcoholism, the more people who need help will seek it. If that means that they need to see themselves as sick and go around helping each other, I see no problem with that. However not all people who drink cannot manage their alcohol consumption, and it is important to determine who is who and who needs what measures to either quit entirely or to exercise self-control in how much one drinks.