And you know nothing of alcoholism. But it’s always nice to have an opinion even when it’s wrong
By definition, you can’t be “alcoholic” without alcohol.
You put that in your body because you crave it.
You are responsible for that action.
It's easy for people who aren't alcoholics to dismiss alcoholism as a simple weakness of character or lack of will power.
For 30 years, I tried to drink like "normal" people; knock back a couple, socialize, have fun. And then stop. Sometimes I could. Other times, I would "release the dragon" as best friend called it. These evenings usually resulted in embarrassing phone calls the next morning asking what I did and begging forgiveness.
Thing is, once I took the first sip, I had no idea what night it was going to be. My friends didn't either. Eventually, they stopped inviting me to do things with them. Wasn't worth the hassle to babysit a grown man. What used to be funny was now sad.
November 27th, 2015, Black Friday. I was drunk and putting up the Christmas tree, stumbling around, slurring, yelling at my wife and 2 small sons. The next morning I said to myself, these aren't the memories I want my kids to have and I've not since touched another drop. No AA. No therapy. No pills. Three weeks later I would give up smoking, another 30-year habit the same way.
I wish I could say it's been a struggle but it can't. It's like God Himself turned off a switch.
So, yeah, I have some sympathy for addicts because I know what it feels like. Sober, I can visualize the pain I put my parents, siblings, friends through who were always wondering when that phone call was going to come. When I read of drunks who killed people, I think "there but for the Grace of God..." I probably drove drunk thousands of times.
I pray my children don't have the same "weakness of character" or "lack of will power" as people like to assume I suffered from.