Dr Winston O Boogie jr |
07-28-2012 08:13 AM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by PennBF
(Post 441309)
What they don't tell you is how many who start on "one beer a day" end up drunks. How many have the problem of stimulating the endorphins in the brain which, when released demand more alcohol which initiates the alcoholic disease. As an illustration..How many have had a piece of cake and even though on a diet "just had to have another piece". Welcome to the world of endorphins. They record the "pleasure" from the drink and demand more and that is the simple basis for becoming an alcoholic. Of course there are other chemical reactions but this is the basic one that everyone should know about. How many children or unsuspecting adults read some stupid article like this and say wow I can drink. Pull out the six pac and bingo they have a hard time stopping and want more and more. Not all will have this happen but enough to cause 80,000 deaths a year from alcohol abuse. I am a lucky one that can have a single drink and walk away but have no desire to put something in my body that truly does not have real benefits. There are so many other options which are better. :popcorn:
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Those of us who have lived with alcoholism are certainly well aware of the devastating affects that this disease has on not only the alcoholic, but also his or her loved ones. However, we also tend to be a bit paranoid about alcohol as well and make posts like this one.
The fact is that a very small percentage of those who have one or two beers or glasses of wine or even hard liquor drinks a day become alcoholics. Just look around you. How many people do you know that have an occasional drink or even drink moderately every day are alcoholics? How many alcoholics do you know? The answer often given to that question is that everyone knows at least one person who has been affected by alcoholism. That may be true, but how many people do you know and how many are alcoholics? Many, many people are able to control their alcohol consumption. A few unfortunates are alcoholics. That shouldn't mean that the rest of society should give up moderate, responsible drinking.
Alcoholism is, by the way, far more then simply an endorphin response. It is a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual disease. Every alcoholic is different and responds to different treatments differently. Some actually, after years of sobriety have been able to return drinking normally.
I don't think that anyone fully understand alcoholism and addiction. It has been studied for hundreds of years and a lot of progress has been made, but I don't know that "the answer" will ever be found.
But I don't think that everyone should be afraid to drink a few beers every once in a while or even have a glass of wine every night after dinner. Tens of millions of people around the world have been doing this for centuries and very few become alcoholics.
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