“The book ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS makes it abundantly clear that NO ONE is to be let off the hook because he has a disease. The reason is there is a way out. Take the way out or pay the consequences.”
Alcoholism is really a “symptom” of some other issue. Whether it’s a depressive disorder or some other emotional or mental condition. I lived with an alcoholic girlfriend for about a year and I saw it up close. The right medication (Bipolar) went a long way to eliminating the physical need for it. That and spending some time in jail served to make her reach her “bottom”. After that I helped her get into a year long treatment program.
Today she is alive and doing well though she has to deal with the damage she did to her body over a 25 year span of drinking since she was 13 years old. She will be sober 4 years in August. We are no longer involved but are good friends and ultimately I’m glad to not be visiting her gravesite.
Drinking is the solution to alcoholics for every problem they ever face. The PROBLEMS are why we drink. I had to learn that the booze was only a temporary SOLUTION and the PROBLEMS usually came back even bigger than before. I’ve been sober since 1985.