Re:A neuroscientist who believes addiction is not a disease
by mikestew on Sunday August 30, 2015 @08:26PM
(#10144883)
Congrats on the sobriety. 11 years myself here on my non-throwaway account (don't hire me, then, we'll both be better off).
As for the disease model, and as a partial response to the comment sibling, it is my understanding that the disease model was cooked up specifically to address the "weak willed" label slapped on those that drink too much. If that's true, and I don't have a reliable source to back that up, it would fit well with AA's overall program. IOW, like other diseases, you don't have control over it (if you did, you'd quit), and it is not reflective of a base character flaw, etc.
I dunno, I don't get too hung up on it myself. As you said, get whatever help that fits your model of the world, but get help. I don't even buy into a lot of what AA touts, but simply sitting in a room with a bunch of other folks with similar struggles was a lot of what I needed. (Granted, for a lot of AA meetings "similar struggles" means "the court says I need this piece of paper signed".)
As for the disease model, and as a partial response to the comment sibling, it is my understanding that the disease model was cooked up specifically to address the "weak willed" label slapped on those that drink too much. If that's true, and I don't have a reliable source to back that up, it would fit well with AA's overall program. IOW, like other diseases, you don't have control over it (if you did, you'd quit), and it is not reflective of a base character flaw, etc.
I dunno, I don't get too hung up on it myself. As you said, get whatever help that fits your model of the world, but get help. I don't even buy into a lot of what AA touts, but simply sitting in a room with a bunch of other folks with similar struggles was a lot of what I needed. (Granted, for a lot of AA meetings "similar struggles" means "the court says I need this piece of paper signed".)