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 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--==- 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 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- aqua vitae pronounced: AH-kwah WEE-ti meaning: whiskey Essentially, the term meant, "The waters of life" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------- More later......