I very much agree with Ernie.

In fact, until I read his response, I had not realized that I was reading
the messages regarding establishing a comprehensive listing of "reasons" for
drinking as though the word used had been "excuses."  In other words,
unconsciously, I was trying to make sense of an otherwise incomprehensible
statement.

Maybe this is 25+ years of indoctrination.

But it is an eye opener (excuse the expression), therapeutically speaking,
for most alcoholics, when they are told that they are drinking because they
drank, i.e. it is in the nature of the beast to drink, having drunk.

In our culture, the occasions for drinking being ubiquitous, the alcoholic
striving to curb his or her drinking lives in terror of the normal social
occasions when taking a drink is expected.  Terror, because of the near
impossibility of successfully negotiating a social drink.

This said, I suppose a cross-cultural listing of reasons/excuses might still
prove useful.  My guess is that the major common thread would be
rationalizing what had already occurred, i.e. a drink leading to loss of
control.



-----Original Message-----
From: Alcohol and Drugs History Society [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Ernest Kurtz
Sent: Monday, March 28, 2005 4:37 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: reasons for drinking/drug use

David,

This will not be very helpful, but some 25+ years of hanging around A.A.
and listening to the almost infinitely varied stories of its members has
convinced me that an alcoholic drinks because he/she is an alcoholic.
There is a classic article by Selden Bacon, "Alcoholics do not drink,"
in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science.
1958; 315:55-64.  I suggest all interested in your topic read it (though it
is, of course, unfortunately, not yet available online).

Once exposed to alcohol, an alcoholic drinks not to "feel good" or for any
other reason than that the alcoholic is trying to "feel normal."  It strikes
me that very few non-alcoholics (e.g. James Royce, S.J., Daniel J. Anderson
of Hazelden) have ever been able to grasp that.

  I will not even approach the question of "what is an 'alcoholic'?"
except to say that what I said in the par. above may be a pretty good
answer.

ernie kurtz


David Fahey wrote:

> Has there been comparative study of the reasons for drinking/drug use?
> Class, sex, race, religion, age, ethnicity, in different countries, at
> different times of the day and week, and in different historical
> periods? And, of course, different kinds of alcohol and different
> kinds of drugs, whether usually licit or illicit?  As I write this
> post, I realize how complicated comparisons can be!
>
>
>