I thought that I would share with you some Latin phrases that are
sometimes quoted in connection with alclohol use.  If its in Latin, it has
to be historical!  If you like them, I'll send some more next week.
 
Thayne
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Have you sometimes heard a latin phrase that you know relates to the
counseling principles in a substance abuse setting, but didn't know what
the latin phrase meant?
 
Well here are a few that you might stuff away for reference for future
reference.
 
Thayne
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abusus non tollit usum
    pronounced: ahb-OO-suus nohn TAWL-lit OO-suum
    meaning: "misuse does not nullify proper use"
 
a related phrase is:  ab abusu ad usum non valet consequentia, or, "the
consequences of abuse do not apply to general use"
 
The use of this phrase might apply to alcohol or drugs, or even to, say,
the helicopter.  In this context, the helicopter is thought of as a
lifesaving invention.  However, the helicopter's use in war does not
mean that the helicopter itself is evil.
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abyssus abyssum invocat
     pronounced: ah-BIHS-suus ah-BIHS-suum IHN-waw-kaht
     meaning:  "one misstep leads to another"
 
This is a warning that the safest road to Hell is a gradual one with
gentle slope.  The first drink of whiskey or puff on a cigarette is not
necessarily dangerous, but we must always be on guard: abyssus abyssum invocat.
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aegrescit medendo
     pronounced:  i-GREH-skit meh-DEN-doh
     meaning:  "The remedy is worse than the disease"
 
The first rule of medical treatment is just the opposite - don't make matters
 worse than you found them.
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aqua vitae
     pronounced: AH-kwah WEE-ti
     meaning:  whiskey
 
Essentially, the term meant, "The waters of life"
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arbiter bibendi
     pronounced: AHR-bih-tehr bih-BEN-dee
     meaning:  a toastmaster
 
Literally, this term was "the judge of the drinking".  The original duty
of a toastmaster in Roman times was not to just introduce speakers, but
to monitor the amount of wine that was drunk at feasts and gave special
attention to the proportion of water that was to be added to the wine to
bring it down to reasonable strength.
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aurea mediocritas
     pronounced:  OW-ray-ah meh-dee-AW-krih-tahs
     meaning:  moderation in all things
 
Literally, this is the "golden mean" where we live our lives without
taking unnecessary risks or indulging in excesses.  Horace said in his Odes,
 "Who loves the golden mean is safe from the poverty of the hovel and
free from the envy of a palace."
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bis vivit qui bene vivit
     pronounced:  bihs WEE-wiht kwee BEH-neh WEE-wiht
     meaning:  He lives twice who lives well
 
We have but one life.  If we live it well, we have avoided having to live
twice to correct the mistakes we made in our first life.
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More later......