Ever give up Booze?

[svmariane]

Originally Posted by boatman61

"they're not powerless to alcohol.. they're powerless to themselves."

Yeah, I'll agree with that. And yet I'm thinking that even though someone TELLS themselves the step #1 thing it's really a bit like whistling past the graveyard - but hey, whatever works, right? Long as they manage not to pick up that next bottle.

Originally Posted by boatman61

"Yeah I know.. I'm a heartless bastard but life's just another form of battlefield..."

Nah - not heartless. The battlefield analogy is apt - and war leaves casualties along the wayside. Some folk don't mind being a Corpsman, ready to tend the wounded, while others just get about their business. Seems you're just not the Corpsman type, and I've got naught against that.


Good health to all! There's seas to be sailed and lines to tend, and when at last Yer ship's bell tolls eight "may Ye be in heaven a half hour a'fore the Devil knows Yer dead"!

[boatman61]

Nah - not heartless. The battlefield analogy is apt - and war leaves casualties along the wayside. Some folk don't mind being a Corpsman, ready to tend the wounded, while others just get about their business. Seems you're just not the Corpsman type, and I've got naught against that.

Some of the reasons are pretty pathetic..
One can only do so much for a self harmer.. sooner or later they'll succeed..
Its the nature of the beast..

[svmariane]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Some of the reasons are pretty pathetic..
One can only do so much for a self harmer.. sooner or later they'll succeed..
Its the nature of the beast..

Yup. And it does tend to filter out the gene pool!

[zboss]

There is a lot of demand for non-alcoholic activities in the cruiser world. As a mod of the St. Aug Cruisers net we have been tossing around a lot of ideas on the type of "no alcohol" activities that we could promote to sailors as they pass through.

It turns out - its not that difficult.

Both my wife and I are drinkers but we believe that our cruising community is best served by recognizing that not everyone is a "consumer of vice" and that there are many people out there that have had a problem in the past and need a supportive community that doesn't shun people that choose to partake in the drug of their choice or are inclusive in activities with those that choose to remain alcohol and drug free.

As such, we are expanding the opportunities in our community here in St. Augustine to include volunteering, think-and-eat's, etc... where there is neither a focus on alcohol and no alcohol available at all.

We are also having activities that are most blatantly alcohol centric such as gams at the local brewery and ABC store.

As a side note, both my wife and I gave up alcohol for two years a while back. We also changed out eating and exercise habits. All together we lost close to 150 pounds between us. Sex was sooooo much better and our minds were sharper.

Then, we went back to our old habits and the weight returned.

So, we hold those people that choose to be "sober" in high regard as they fight an uphill battle in a community that is by-and-far rum-centric.

We don't plan on giving up booze any time soon but we applaud those that choose to do so and we also enjoy the company of those that join us at our think-and-drinks.

[Sandero]

"In his award-winning book, "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction," Dr. Gabor Maté explains the origins of addiction as being rooted in trauma and calls for a more compassionate approach toward the addict.Maté spoke with CBS News for the #14Days series. He says, "All addiction is an escape from pain. All addictions come from emotional loss, and exist to soothe the pain resulting from that loss."
Maté explains how early neglect or abuse affects a child's brain development, in particular the system of self-soothing brain chemicals (such as endorphins and serotonin) that help make up a healthy human being.
The neurochemistry of the brain is affected by the environment in early childhood development, and Maté says, "We know that the majority of chronically hardcore substance-dependent adults lived, as infants and children, under conditions of severe adversity... Their predisposition to addiction was programmed in their early years. Their brains never had a chance."

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Sandero

"In his award-winning book, "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction," Dr. Gabor Maté explains the origins of addiction as being rooted in trauma and calls for a more compassionate approach toward the addict.Maté spoke with CBS News for the #14Days series. He says, "All addiction is an escape from pain. All addictions come from emotional loss, and exist to soothe the pain resulting from that loss."
Maté explains how early neglect or abuse affects a child's brain development, in particular the system of self-soothing brain chemicals (such as endorphins and serotonin) that help make up a healthy human being.
The neurochemistry of the brain is affected by the environment in early childhood development, and Maté says, "We know that the majority of chronically hardcore substance-dependent adults lived, as infants and children, under conditions of severe adversity... Their predisposition to addiction was programmed in their early years. Their brains never had a chance."

What a load of Psychobabble crap..
Working on his analysis every kid who's had a drunk, abusive parent will walk the same path.. patently Not a fact.. its like saying if one is a black West Indian your to stupid to be capable of anything other than pimp or run drugs.
Whereas in fact in London there's more Albanians and other E European gangs running things..
There's enough info in the world to define what is morally right from wrong..
I've known addicts from all backgrounds.. and the balance is more or less equal.
All this crap about emotional deprivation etc is just that.. and more pandering to the 'Victim' card..
Recently in the UK a 19yr old ran down and killed a police officer with a stolen car.. his brief pleaded a deprived childhood because he was from Liverpool and had a cannabis addiction.. Poor Lad..
********.. a selfish Dickhead is a selfish Dickhead.. background is irrelevant.. its pure selfishness at a cost to everyone else.
But then I was not raised in the Kissy Kissy see a Shrink society where passing the buck has become an art form..

[unclemack]

Originally Posted by dannc

The "punched" cattle reference should cause some head scratching for the CFers who are non US English speakers.
Dan

As an English English speaker I have to ask...
What comes first - the cattle punching or the cow poking?

Either way those cows need a good attorney.
Obvious class action.

[SaltyMonkey]

Well unfortunately for posturing uneducated Boaty, you're wrong. It's a combination of genetics and early environmental brain development. Yes the snooty psycho-babble by clean wriggling handed psuedo-scientists is BS, but the underlying physical understanding about addiction is absolutely true - frontal lobes, executive function and all. And even though we might understand all of this, in the hands of the law it should make no difference as an excuse, unless it's in liberal UK where they don't have a death sentence.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by boatman61

What a load of Psychobabble crap..

********.. a selfish Dickhead is a selfish Dickhead.. background is irrelevant..

can't disagree with that


BTW - not drinking hasn't seemed to make a certain group people less crazy

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

can't disagree with that


BTW - not drinking hasn't seemed to make a certain group people less crazy

Oh, we're walking a fine line there, mate.

[sailorboy1]

Don't get me wrong, not saying the whole group. Beyond saying that I'll leave it to the other group crazies.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

Well unfortunately for posturing uneducated Boaty, you're wrong. It's a combination of genetics and early environmental brain development. Yes the snooty psycho-babble by clean wriggling handed psuedo-scientists is BS, but the underlying physical understanding about addiction is absolutely true - frontal lobes, executive function and all. And even though we might understand all of this, in the hands of the law it should make no difference as an excuse, unless it's in liberal UK where they don't have a death sentence.

I've said all I have to say.. go your own way..

[SaltyMonkey]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I've said all I have to say.. go your own way..

Indeed the winds between us blow from different directions.

[sailorboy1]

lighten up some, ...................... go have a beer




feel free to substitute herbal tea if you need to

[a64pilot]

Understand that some people are very passionate as they have watched loved one pass or have had to wrestle with addiction themselves.
I watched the COPD and Emphysema progress in my Mother as she continued to smoke, she knew it would kill her and knew how she was going to die, and this horrified her, but not enough so that she could quit smoking, the addiction was too strong, and she was not a weak person, nor was she seeking pity, she never was certified as disabled, never had the sticker on her car, never got a penny form the government. She said she did this to herself, it wasn't right that others should pay for her problem.

My Brother was an alcoholic for years, I believe what he was was called a "coping alcoholic" in that he drank like a fish and was drunk by every afternoon, he was still able to work etc up til near the end.

Watching them both die and lead not such a great life before death, has made me both cognizant that I may have an addictive personality, that I might need to watch that and sort of a little against the Tobacco industry as what are it's redeeming values?