You're right - there is a huge difference between diabetes and alcoholism.

You can be a reformed and sober former "alcoholic". The only "former" Type I diabetic is a dead one.

My sympathy meter is still unmoved.

Outlaw sugar?
Would go a long ways toward curing both problems.

Nah, what we need here is a good ol' bail out.
(from the drunk tank)

Sure, there's plenty of blame to go around. And the Lakota Sioux didn't go from an independent nation to a pathetic alcoholic reservation tribe all on their own. I wouldn't wish their condition and situation on anyone. Well, except maybe a few select conservatives.

If someone dared to use the steriotype of a "drunkin' indian" they would be shouted out of the form for good reason yet we justify a B.S. claim by using that exact arguement. These poor inferior indians can not help themselves. B.S.

These people are not inferior. They are not less able to use their freewill. Each individual has the choice. They choose to drink and then to sue those who sell. Just another group not taking responsibility for their own actions. People who want to drink will drink, people who dont wont. You decide to take the drink. The drink does not decide to take you.

If they wanted it that bad they would drive the extra miles to get it at the next store. It would probably be that stores fault then. I just dont get how we dare not steriotype and shouldn't but justify bad actions using one of the worst steriotypes out there.

if you are an alcoholic or a drug addict you will find some place to get your daily fix

At a rate of 4 out of 5......the statistic is erroneous.
It is more likely greater than 1:1, as the outlying areas are also impacted. If you don't understand.......then you don't know anything about alcoholism.

Taking booze away will not fix what is wrong, either.

As Cedar R. pointed out, the disease is multi-faceted to say the least.....and the direct effects of such things as incest and the like do not go away with the removal of the one thing that makes life tolerable.....booze.

It's humorous in a strange way to listen to folks who have no clue what it is to recover from the sh!t that alcohol has made tolerable.

I've always been alcoholic, always will be. I love to drink and I don't kid myself about it. And I can have my old life back again in a heartbeat. There is no such thing as one beer for me. I drank for effect, and if I drink again, it will be for effect. I don't understand social drinkers, but I know I'm not one. Me bride drinks, but she is not an alcoholic and can leave a glass of wine half full and go to bed....WTF?! G'Damn rookie drinker!

Funny thing is that I can have a good time being around drinkers, without an urge to drink. And to that, the only thing I can say is, "Thank God!"



edit: spell checker does no good if it's the wrong word spelled correctly

What about a gene that causes RWWJ? It's already become a disease which offenders don't have to take responsibility for. Can we make a reservation for them? Funded by Fox News?

Sure, why not?

If, of course the opposite is true also!

What say you to "Libs are minions of MSNBC"?

Can't come off of the reservation and make accusations like that. Know your place!

Not the one you use to wipe off the goats, Bucko!

Ignore the stains.

Being an enrolled member of an Indian tribe and Irish, my ability to be damn good drinker is off the charts. Both my parent's fathers were alcholics. From my experience, Indians are great enablers. That is a significant part of the problem, IMO. It's a lot easier to have bad habits when your friends and neighbors directly or indirectly support your habit. My Indian Grandpa quit drinking in the early '50s but I vaguely remember being told to be quiet as Grandpa was 'sick', which was the euphemism for 'hangover'.

Even the roadless frozen tundra doesn't stop an indian from acquiring or making whatever it is they need to get intoxicated. The state of Alaska spends plenty trying to keep dry villages dry and it still doesn't work.

You can exchange the word "Indian" for "Drunk" or "Alcoholic"
The disease don't differentiate by race.

I hope you can still enjoy mantown in Craig this summer.

Dan, Have you ever had first hand experience with a close friend or relative that was inflicted with alcoholism? I've had the unfortunate experience of being close to several friends and family members that had this curse including a high school pal that drank himself to death at the ripe old age of 27. Yes there is treatment and some success but the majority die from this. You would think that as a matter of life and death they would just stop drinking but from what I have experienced it's not that simple. IMO your comparison to diabetes is apples and oranges. BTW,I'm not on board with suing the store or breweries, alcoholics will get their booze one way or another. I spent a lot of time fishing out of Neah Bay and saw the drunken race down that 14 mile road to get to Ray's ,I think that was the stores name, before it closed to get more booze. Some of those Makahs had been through every treatment program in the USA and still drank themselves to death.

I don't think it is.

Yes, I have first hand experience with alcoholism and diabetes. And the fact remains, if you're an alcoholic or a diabetic, the only person that's going to keep you alive is you.

You try keeping your blood sugars in control for 40 f'n years with the constant temptation to eat something you shouldn't and shave time off your life.

Everyone likes to believe their struggles are more difficult than the other guys' struggles.

I hope you didn't take my post as trivializing diabetes, I can't imagine what it is like. I just think the difference may be the psychoactive element of alcohol and how it extremely effects a persons judgement. I think this is a big part of why alcoholism has it's own set of difficult to deal with problems. At any rate,I agree that ultimately it's up to the individual. I wish you the best with your health issues.

Nice commentary on the demon.

I wonder why some cannot see the demon.
Arrogance? lack of imagination? or just plain lucky.

I have been drunk, especially in the 7th fleet liberty ports.
Usually after one of those episodes and the nasty next day, I would
stay dry for quite a while.
I understand that an alcoholic does not have that nasty next day.
Don't know if that is true or not.

I am thankful that I am so lucky as to be able to have a Scotch and
Soda or a Drambuie and keep it to a one or two event.

I think our body chemistry sets us up for the various indulgences
that can be toxic. Thrill addicts, Nicotine addicts, Alcohol addicts,
and all the other various habit forming recreational or medical
chemicals.
Maybe it is just a form of population control.