BASE - Journey Into Cinema

[Inconceivablezen]

Perhaps the drinking incident showed that you CAN control yourself while drinking. I personally think the aspect of AA that sees alcoholism as a disease is very dangerous. It can be demonstrated in the following way:

- Let us assume that person x is fully free in his/her actions
- Also assume that person x beliefs that his/her will is determined by the "disease" of alcoholism
- Conclusion: Person x will act as if his/her actions are determined by the disease, even though they are free to resist the drug of their choice anyway.

You should give yourself more credit than you do. You succesfully resisted acting as if you were "diseased". You have got more control than you think you do, and that's a good thing, as you do not have to live with the "disease" in the back of your mind.

While I agree with this point concerning AA, it is very dangerous for anyone who has developed the coping mechanism of escaping into alcohol (as opposed to, say, "disease of alcoholism") to assume they can just all of a sudden handle anything. It should be an adjustment that is approached cautiously and with diligence and care not to allow oneself to fall back into old habits and excuses for drinking alcohol.

The process is one of outgrowing the immaturity of easy escape from fears and hurts, instead of dealing with them; but perhaps even more than that it is one of developing new, safe coping methods and habits that do not involve drugs, alcohol or escape.

It is easy for someone who has not seen and experienced alcoholism first hand to assume that the process can be like a light switch for everyone - easy to turn off when you know a few things. The personality prone to this issue (as opposed to, say, a "disease") is very often skilled at self delusion, self deception, justification and self sabotage in efforts to continue accessing this easy escape from their challenges in life. Thus, caution and care are the order of the day, even though it is true that labeling it a "disease" is a self dis-empowering excuse to continue being an alcoholic and taking no responsibility for one's choices, actions and results. Highly ironic for a group dedicated to overcoming this "disease".

I agree with you that it is in some sense dangerous to assume that it's a light switch for everyone. I agree with you on many of these issues. I basically think that it's a very strong habit that is always the default coping mechanism of a person. Any kind of stress or drawback and even highs like celebrations will elicit the coping mechanism. A modern day philosopher called Neil Levy has written some great articles about the role of the environment, weakness of will, and resisting addicition.

Levy's main point is that there are two types of psychological systems. System two are the slow and more rational system, while system one are the "default" habitual sytem. When a person has full levels of willpower, system one resources are active. This is why an addict could quit their addiction for some time, until something difficult comes up. Difficult choices and situations cost willpower, and lead to the realiance on system one resources. System two resources are depleted by then. When system two resources are depleted, people experience "weakness of will". One then defaults to their habitual pattern. This could for be drinking, for example. But as drinking continues and becomes a strong habit, while simultaniously depleting system two resources more often as drinking leads to lots of problems. It then becomes a vicious cycle, where system two resources never really recover.

Why do I bring this up? I think this conception of addiction can both explain why AA is succesful by complete abstinence, but also show why it's dangerous to see alcoholism as a disease. People can change their habits. When the habit of alcoholism is changed, people wil no langer fall back on alcohol with any setback. But that takes time, and I do think AA is correct in that sense. It also explains why I do agree with you that it's not a light switch