Check out these losers...

Ron-P

I'm late to this party as I have not followed so I'm going to go back to page 1 with this comment...

It's called addiction, it's a disease like any other disease. You don't choose it, it choose's you and is played out in various ways, not just with drugs or alcohol.

...and say ****. I cannot even agree with you at all on this F1. It's a choice, pure and simple. It's just as easy to say no as it is to say yes. If you can't stop or just say no, it's not called addiction, it's called weakness.

F1nut

Weakness, eh? You might want to educate yourself about addiction before making such a statement. Talk to an addictions counselor or doctor, get a professonials take on what it really is.

Ron-P

A choice always preceeds the addiction. I'll agree that anyone can "become" addicted if doing something long enough or often enough, but a choice is made long before.

"It" doesn't choose you, you choose "it" and then it consumes you via the choice you made, pure and simple. No doc, or pro needs to tell me something I already know.

mesquitehead

the ama and every other medical body since the 1950's has recognized it as a disease (born with it), if you never drink/drug it never becomes active however if you do either it will become active. I watched my mother die in the throes of a terrible addiction and can tell you for certain she wanted to be normal....but her ability to be continually willing to go to any length to stay sober was weaker than her dependancy to the drugs. It is a physical, mental and spiritual disease and the part most do not understand is that the afflicted seem to have lost the power to choose....they also have trouble remembering the negative consequences of their last drink or drug episode; something normal drinkers would deem insane and to a degree it is insanity. Trust me when I say that no-one wants to put themselves though the hell willingly. Also as for responsibility and "being a man"....part of recovery is admitting your faults/wrongs and making amends for them (not excuses) and to continue to give back by helping others recover and being a productive member of society.....let me just tell you that standing before people you have wronged and admitting your faults AND asking what you can do to make things right can be a big lesson in humility.....now I think that is what "being a man" is all about. I also have a brother who suffers from addiction and is not willing to recover yet....he is not allowed at my house nor will I enable him in any way to take advantage of me until he has proven he is willing to do whatever it takes to get sober...I love him enough to let him hit rock bottom, I also pray that he doesnt die before he gets there...if he does come around and truly wants what I have in recovery I will move mountains to help him because someone once did the same for me, and I have a duty to pass it on. I often feel that is the way "someone" intended things to be in the world....brother helping brother.