"The Sum 41 Thread"

[_Kyle_]

http://www.drugfree.org/join-together/genetic-predisposition-to-nicotine-addiction-uncovered/

[M!ke]

Who told you this Mike?

 

Told me what?  I'm speaking from personal experience (with weed admittedly which is a pretty weak thing to get addicted to, but even still it had something of a hold on me, and I was later able to break that hold), and family members who have in the past or still do exhibit addiction.  This is all common sense as far as I can tell, I can't believe people would think otherwise.

[Melty Mark]

The reason people don't stop is sometimes irresponsibility in that moment, but as a habit that is an addictive behavior, Ghent. It isn't fun to wake up every time you drink freely having over-consumed the night before, it is called a loss of control for good reason. Lives become unmanageable, or the individual functions but still exhibit the same behaviors. Being at the bottom of the possible barrel is not the only way to identify your own alcoholism. Alcoholism is not some deep dark thing, and there's no totally certain way of establishing what caused it. I am not saying that genetics always make an alcoholic, or that I blame genetics on my own problem.

 

Enigmas aren't evidence, again I am happy for you both that you're not alcoholics.

[M!ke]

I still don't get what you mean with that.

 

Yes sure it's possible to get out of an addiction, but whether someone is able to is influenced by many factors.

 

Many addictions develop gradually, I would be careful with that choice argument. Many addicts I talked to like to tell themselves they have a choice and keep doing what they do when they have no choice anymore.

 

What is faulty about the choice argument?  Choice gets harder the more addicted you get.  That is what I'm saying, and from the getgo, you may not realize it, but you do have a choice on how addicted you become.  Do it a lot from the start, you are far more prone to be an addict.  Do it a little from the start and not regularly by any means, you are far less prone to become an addict.

[Ghent]

How much and how often did you drink Beth? Just curious. sorry if you already said

[_Kyle_]

Told me what?  I'm speaking from personal experience (with weed admittedly which is a pretty weak thing to get addicted to, but even still it had something of a hold on me, and I was later able to break that hold), and family members who have in the past or still do exhibit addiction.  This is all common sense as far as I can tell, I can't believe people would think otherwise.

 

You might want to get your views on things other than personal experience and your own family. Like you're a nice guy and all, but this is just laughable as it's just anecdotal evidence and "common sense" which you're confusing for "common knowledge". 

[Melty Mark]

I drank every night to the point of not recalling going to sleep. Before I had more friends who were 21, it was harder, but I binge drank probably a few times a week. I hid it well until the end of it, I was in school full time and working part time.

[M!ke]

You might want to get your views on things other than personal experience and your own family. Like you're a nice guy and all, but this is just laughable as it's just anecdotal evidence and "common sense" which you're confusing for "common knowledge". 

 

What is wrong with my argument dude?  Drink a lot when you start drinking at a young age, and you're more likely to become an addict, drink very little when you start drinking, and you are far less likely to become an addict.  I see both sides of this everywhere, friends, family, celebrities.  

[_Kyle_]

It's wrong because it's simplistic and more of causation than a reason why somebody is an alcoholic. People who drink very little aren't alcoholics, so therefore don't drink too much and you won't be an alcoholic? That's something my 7 year old nephew would say. 

[M!ke]

I drank every night to the point of not recalling going to sleep. Before I had more friends who were 21, it was harder, but I binge drank probably a few times a week. I hid it well until the end of it, I was in school full time and working part time.

 

Do I need to point out that this isn't the be all end all case that must apply to everyone?  Like I said even when one is deeply addicted they still have choice.  If you chose to continue that behavior for a long time, I guarantee you'd have become an addict.  But you don't exhibit that kind of behavior anymore because you chose not to, so you're not an addict.  It does help who the people you surround yourself with too.  In fact the fact that you used to binge actually could be defined as something of an addiction, but you didn't let yourself go deeper down that rabbit hole, and instead climbed out (probably without even realizing it).

[M!ke]

It's wrong because it's simplistic and more of causation than a reason why somebody is an alcoholic. People who drink very little aren't alcoholics, so therefore don't drink too much and you won't be an alcoholic? That's something my 7 year old nephew would say. 

 

K, but its not true?  you mean to tell me that the fact that I've always drank little in my life has nothing to do with the fact that I'm not an alcoholic?  LOL.

[M!ke]

No one has just a single drink and instantly becomes an alcoholic, it doesn't work that way.

[Jane]

K, but its not true?  you mean to tell me that the fact that I've always drank little in my life has nothing to do with the fact that I'm not an alcoholic?  LOL.

 

That's tautology man. I always drank little hence I'm no alcoholic; because I always drank little, you know...

[thongrider]

Playing the genetic card is just a way for addicts to feel justified.  Everyone is just as prone to addiction as everyone else, it all just depends on how you handled your alcohol from the getgo.  People that are fat and claim they are because obesity runs in their genes are full of BS.  I strongly believe that if your whole life, you ate healthy and exercised regularly, then there is no way you'd be obese.  

I want for your sake that naivity is genetic in your family so you have something to fall back on when you realize how stupid what you just said is.

 

People aren't the same, there are different ways and causes for why people turned out the way they do. And if there was just one way to Rome, life would be much easier. You might be right in some cases, some people get addicted for the reason you said, others have other problems outside of their addiction and use addiction to supress their other problem, for others it's genetic. For a lot of people it's a combination of those, and I'm sure there are other causes and reason why people become addicts. The same goes for obese people and people with eating disorders.

[M!ke]

That's tautology man. I always drank little hence I'm no alcoholic; because I always drank little, you know...

 

Well you can't become an alcoholic without ever having drank in the first place.  And if you start off drinking from the first time with week after week of binging, I find it hard to believe that you would be able to stop on a dime after only a month if that no matter who you are.

[M!ke]

I want for your sake that naivity is genetic in your family so you have something to fall back on when you realize how stupid what you just said is.

 

People aren't the same, there are different ways and causes for why people turned out the way they do. And if there was just one way to Rome, life would be much easier. You might be right in some cases, some people get addicted for the reason you said, others have other problems outside of their addiction and use addiction to supress their other problem, for others it's genetic. For a lot of people it's a combination of those, and I'm sure there are other causes and reason why people become addicts. The same goes for obese people and people with eating disorders.

 

How can you argue otherwise about obesity?  If you grow up in a household being only fed healthy things, and work out every day, there is no way in hell that you would be obese.  Show me that person that ate healthy and played sports and lifted weights his whole life that is a fat sack of crap, please.

[Jane]

Well you can't become an alcoholic without ever having drank in the first place.  And if you start off drinking from the first time with week after week of binging, I find it hard to believe that you would be able to stop on a dime after only a month if that no matter who you are.

 

Of course, but not every person who started off drinking little will never become an alcoholic. I also would not even go as far as saying it makes it less likely. It's not simply a matter of discipline.

[Melty Mark]

Damn, thongrider. Thanks for that, good stuff.

[M!ke]

Of course, but not every person who started off drinking little will never become an alcoholic. I also would not even go as far as saying it makes it less likely. It's not simply a matter of discipline.

 

Oh don't mistake what I'm saying as all encompassing, I'm aware of those that start off small and eventually end up with their head underground.  But as I said you have control, you'll be far LESS LIKELY to be an addict to alcohol if you respected the substance from the start, did it rarely and never over indulged.  Sure this person can still become an addict, but it is so much less likely than the person who did it a lot, fast and often.

[_Kyle_]

 

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