| Andy: “…I will not parrot the therapeutic culture's line that it is a disease. I state the obvious: Alcoholism is a surrender to temptation run amok, a loss of self-control...” I agree that the disease model of alcoholism is misplaced, since disease implies an organic malfunction, and as far as I am aware, there is no organic basis for alcoholism.
But nor do I think alcoholism is simply a loss of self-control. It seems to be more of a personality problem along the lines of obsessive-compulsive disorders. These disorders are not usually accompanied by any organic malfunction, but nevertheless they can be crippling in their effects.
Since these disorders don’t appear to have any organic basis, their genesis must lie elsewhere. In my view, they are the outcome of distorted thinking. Strange as it may sound, both the OCD and the alcoholic believe that their behaviour will bring them some benefit, or at least ward off some harm.
The perceived benefit is probably in the form of control over one’s mental and emotional state. Like all of us, the alcoholic is beset by all the usual fears and anxieties, as well as the joys and hopes, of living in this world. Somewhere along the line, he learns that he can use alcohol as a way of controlling his inner life. In time, he sets up a pattern of thinking and behaviour, where he associates his experience of emotional pain – or joy for that matter – with the contents of a bottle.
Unfortunately, the alcoholic’s attempts to control his mental life involve ingesting large amounts of a very powerful and toxic drug, so in addition to his distorted thinking, the alcoholic is also beset by a variety of physical, emotional and moral harms.
The way out of this mess is to learn to separate one’s mental and emotional experiences from the contents of the bottle. Once he’s cracked that, the alcoholic is on the way to recovery.
Willpower won’t achieve this understanding, because the will is blind – it’s an energy that goes wherever the mind directs. The way out is achieved by reason, which recognises the distorted thinking and finds a new direction for the will.
Brendan
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