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joeyjensen1959 avatar

Is drug and alcohol addiction just a bad habit? Or is it a disease?

Addiction & Recovery | Last Active: 20 hours ago | Replies (17)
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Profile picture for heyjoe415 @heyjoe415

Hi Joey,

I've been sober for 14 plus years now. Calling alcoholism a "disease", something the AMA agrees with, walks a fine line.

I prefer to think of it as an incurable condition that can be put into remission. Alcoholism is certainly life threatening.

Joe

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Replies to "Hi Joey, I've been sober for 14 plus years now. Calling alcoholism a "disease", something the..."
heyjoe415 | @heyjoe415 | 21 hours ago

Hey Joe,

I've been in AA since 2003 (although right now I have 14.5 years of continuous sobriety, so I'm familiar with the "relapse road" - the road with few exits.......).

Since the very beginning, I've had trouble labeling alcoholism a "disease". I've always called it a "condition" - albeit a serious one. "Incurable condition" is even better - and yes, we can put that into remission if we admit we have a problem we can't control, and ask for help. Sounds deceptively simple. Not quite. My one bit of advice for anyone new reading this - relapse is not necessary! Please avoid it. In my case, getting back in was a lot harder than going to my first meeting.

Now that I'm a bit of an "old timer", I truly enjoy helping new people. I sponsor three guys, and they have given me more than I''ll ever give them. This is just a much. much better life.

Thanks again Joe!

Joe

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