Nostalgia Alert!!!

[GreenMonsta]

Thats a good message. I got a flash of the words "The more you know".

[Shaggy]

I am very aware of that fact. I was never denying the stupidity of it. But there are certain decisions and actions that should be for adults only. Drinking heavily at such an early age (15!) can effectively ruin your life. You can get into trouble with the police, you can get a record, your grades can stop droppin…. Oftentimes, they don't know exactly what they're getting into. So, yes, I think it is sadder seeing teenagers drown themselves in alcohol.

[mtlhddoc2]

As a teenage alcoholic myself, I dont think it is sadder, sad, yes, sadder? no. Sadder is that same teen in 25 years doing the same damn thing he did in high school. I have an old classmate, a drinking buddy if you will, who is still the same disaster of a erson she was back then. Which is sadder, me, drunk at 15, but made something of my life, or her, drunk at 40, having made nothing of her life and still acting like a teen?

[Shaggy]

If you look at my first post on this thread, you'll see my point was more about the boasting of getting drunk than the actual getting of drunkness (?) itself. There are those who get drunk to raise their social status, or to be able to brag about doing something 'bad.' That is sad. That is my point. That is not what you are talking about.

[GreenMonsta]

The thing about that Shaggy is that threads tend to "evolve". There is a certain ebb and flow to a forum. Notice that your original post outlined the fact that bragging was the problem but then later you posted that it was sadder and he just responded to your new post.

I don't see a problem with drinking and we have to realize that kids are going to do it. Like mtlhddoc2 said, as long as there is a limit and the person can function and be successful then there isn't an issue. Technically a person isn't an addict unless the addiction has adverse effects on their life. So I could go home and get drunk every night as long as doing so didn't effect my job or life style.

[Shaggy]

I know, I've noticed.

That's actually not true–if you have an average of more than two alcoholic drinks a night for a week, you are a legal alcoholic.

[GreenMonsta]

Ahh but you see that I didn't say alcoholic. I said addict. Just because someone said that having two alcoholic beverages a day for a week makes them something negative then what would people do if the same rule applied to coffee. I mean there are a lot of coffee addicts out there and it does contain an addictive drug (caffeine). I mean if you look at it, two drinks a day could be consumed during an evening meal and have no effect on the drinker, and a drink of wine is supposed to be healthy so I don't see what the "legal" definition has to do with anything.

[Shaggy]

(1) An alcoholic is, essentially, an adddict of alcohol. (2) It's MORE than two per day in a week. (3) Did I say it was something negative? No, but  you did. (4) See number 2. (5) It may be healthy in some ways, but potentially damaging in others. (6) You don't see what the "legal definition" has to do with anything? Well, in cases of law, evidence that proves someone an alcoholic can be extremely useful, and maybe even turn the direction the case is going. (7) And since the fact that certain peoples are alcoholics is almost always taken into account in a court of law (see number 6), it obviously does have an effect on a person.

[little wilson]

I hate to do definitions, but Monsta, an addiction doesn't necessarily carry with it adverse effects. Here's the definition(s):

To cause to become physiologically or psychologically dependent on a habit-forming substance

or

An individual who has developed physiologic or psychologic dependence on a chemical such as alcohol or other drugs

or

A person with an uncontrollable urge or habit for a drug or situation

And I'll stop right there, because 3 should be enough. But I could copy/paste more. There are plenty available.  You'll notice that no where in ANY of those definitions does it say that the addiction is harmful. Some addictions are harmful, like alcohol, but some are totally innocent, like say a chocolate addict (me).

Addict to me means anyone who would have a problem breaking free of a substance, whether that substance is alcohol, nicotine, chocolate, or a particular flavor of ben and jerry's ice cream. And if you're wondering, yes, it IS possible to become addicted to certain flavors of ben & jerry's. I succeeded with Half-Baked. It was delicious. And very unhealthy.....

And I think this thread just evolved a little further. 

[Shaggy]

little_wilson: You'll notice that no where in ANY of those definitions does it say that the addiction is harmful. Some addictions are harmful, like alcohol, but some are totally innocent

Thank you so much. Monsta–You see, that the definition of 'addiction' never mentions it being harmful. However, the common view of the populace is that alcohol addiction is harmful. Do you know why? Because it is. Never doubt the power of alcohol addiction.

[GreenMonsta]

Oh I am not saying that addiction is a good thing especially when it comes to alcohol. And thanks wilson by the way. I can count on you to set me straight whenever I stray. I was saying that the "legal definition" provided by Shaggy was flimsy and didn't have much ground. I know addictions aren't always negative. Alcoholism is negative though. And if that's all it takes to be an alcoholic then I think its sad.

I am however proud of both Shaggy and his parents. For some reason this seventh or eighth grader has a firm grasp on alcohol and that's a really good thing. Good for you man. Don't let your views completely drive you away from experiences later in life but its good to see you are a smart person and I'm sure you will deal with those decisions correctly.

[Shaggy]

Oh…then I guess we were sorta saying similar things all along…although this thread has changed so much I don't really know. And just so you know, I wasn't providing the "legal definition" of addiction–just of an alcoholic.

Thanks. (seventh) Yeah, my parents are pretty firm about that thing–my mom had a cousin who died in his early 30s from alcohol/drug overdose. So they're pretty big on that.
And I'll take your advice to heart. I've been shown too many times that often what I've been taught is simply from one perspective. And I am not going to avoid alcohol as an adult–I'll just be conscious of how much I take in. Thanks again.

Wow we really took over this thread lol.

[Loud_G]

Ahh.....Nostalgia.......

Do you remember when this thread was about old stuff......yeah those were the days ......

[Shaggy]

Haha niceee. Would that be irony? I think it would be but not really sure….

Hey does anyone know how to get a picture to go next to your name thing? I know there's a slot in your profile but I don't know how to put a picture there….

[mtlhddoc2]

Ok, I feel I need to chime in here. Addict, alcoholic, legal definitions, yadda yadda.

Anyway, even though I said I was a teenage alcoholic, I am not an alcoholic, nor was I ever. I only fit the "book" definition of an alcoholic accoriding to AA.

during my early to mid 20s, I drank every day, all day. I got drunk every single night. I would put vodka in my coffee to wake up. Then one day, I decided I had had enough and quit. I never had any urges to drink, and even the same DAY I quit, I went to a bar and did not drink, yet they still call me an alcoholic and try to say "oh, you will always be one, etc etc." It is a bunch of bull. I am not, and never was, addicted to alcohol, even though I was barely sober for a day for nearly 5 years.

I am however, a caffeine addict, and a nicotine addict.

dont believe the rhetoric. An addict is someone who cannot quit on their own. No more, no less.