Signtist wrote: Thanks, this deserves its own thread.
I have some thoughts on the subject and will share later.
Agreed.
much of what steve posts deserves its own thread.
as a young child, i witnessed terrible things from alcohol addiction in my father. my mother and older sibs witnessed and experienced lots of trauma, and drama. fighting, beatings, chaos. it was awful.
but it was not constant.
my father did not drink all the time, he was a hard worker, and devoted husband and father.
but alcohol turned him into another person. i grew up hating alcohol like nothing else.
i'm not sure how much of this early experience later protected me from the 60-70's "drug scene," but, as an older teen and in my 20's, when this was "all the rage," i had NO problem "just saying no," before it was a popularized FLOTUS gov program. i found it hard to believe anyone would even consider alcohol and/or drugs .. but, it was all around me. thankfully, no one ever tried to push me into these things. "pushing" was/is a big problem. somehow, my unwillingness was respected.
possibly, there was a sense i had been hurt by these things, i don't know. i don't believe i spoke of it, i don't believe i would have been able to articulate my experiences and feelings at that early time in my life.
i agree with those who believe some people are
predisposed to addictions.
the form of addiction can vary. we have learned, drugs and/or alcohol can be addictive, including prescription drugs! .. in recent years, it's recognized, pornography and sex can become addictive.
in early U.S., it became known that Native Americans, as a group, were vulnerable to alcohol addiction.
in those early years, whiskey and other alcohols, were often household staples, with multiple uses. safe drinking water was not always available. drunkenness happened. but, not always. there's a clue.
i believe there are problems with BOTH predisposition, AND/OR, sin+self-indulgence problems.
i agree, a person of any age "testing" themselves does not automatically equate with addiction.
it's risky! it does TEMPT addiction. but addiction is not the guaranteed result.
not enough is known.
my grandmothers and dear mother-in-law would disagree!
they were so frightened of any use of alcohol, they would not use it for cooking, "medicinal" purposes, or for any reason. at an older age, my dear mil was scandalized, having sleep problems, her doctor recommended a small glass of wine at bedtime.
o.my.goodness. that got a lot of "airtime" in the family!
i have wondered if he did it to tease her a bit. i will never know.
she was terrified if she took one taste she would fall into hopeless moral decay.
(i think) this was exaggerated on her part. but i do not know.
we did not push her to try. there IS risk. and, no one is a true expert.
my mother was jaw-dropping loyal to my father through all this.
she hated the addiction! no grey area there.
but she remained quietly loyal and steadfast to our father throughout, would not allow a negative word about him, or the problem.
she was quiet. it wasn't what she said. but, her stern looks took care of dissenters.
this was their marriage, and NO ONE, NO THING, could put asunder.
thankfully, in time, our father turned his back on alcohol, and never returned.
he said nothing.
but his actions spoke for him. he was deeply sorry for all that happened, spent his remaining years trying to make up for it (never putting into words, but it was clear.) i fear he never forgave himself for it. and i really really wanted him to. but i couldn't put it into words.
so. lots of things happen.
addictions have a wide ripple effect. lots of kinds of addictions.
-
