Youth and Alcohol

[cladking]

The brightest person I know is an alcoholic. He drank too much during law school. How he passed, with honors, is still a mystery. With that said, he knows and I know he's one ounce away from throwing it all away.
He's been sober for four years yet nurses daily the possibly all could be lost. Not his wife, nor his family can prevent him from taking a drink and destroying his life.

Only he has the power to do so- talk about total control of ones destiny!
I'm going to have him read this discussion and then seek his opinion as this topic has always fascinated me and I find myself vacillating on what to label alcoholism.

Alcoholism is probably a spectrum of diseases. Some people just get flat out addicted to it and others don't. Most of those who don't probably could get addicted but just don't drink enough or with enough frequency for it to happen.

Once you get addicted, you are addicted for life. You have to consciously and physically not drink.

I've long suspected that if you don't have the gene that allows you to be an alcoholic and you don't drink to cure a hangover and you don't drink when you're depressed and you don't drink more than three straight days you can abuse alcohol. The gene that makes you susceptible also makes you slightly alergic to alcohol and I believe I have this gene. I have a lot of Irish ancestry so it might be pure blind luck that all my drinking didn't lead to addiction.

Alcohol is dangerous. And I don't remember a lot of movie plots.