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Date: | Wed, 26 Feb 1997 16:23:19 -0900 |
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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......
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