Alcoholism

Published on Addictions.

Any form of dependency is an escape. This escape starts off as a search. What happens is the person literally projects the object of his/her search into something he/she finds along the way and considers the search finished. The person settles for what he/she finds. Gets trapped by fear and comfort.

Dependency may be caused by many things: alcohol, drugs, sex, tobacco, gambling, food (bulimia, anorexia),, but also (and in greater percentages) money, power, rules, fame, influence, knowledge, entertainment, asceticism, cultism, ancient beliefs, religion, etc.

The addict is a person who does not complete his/her search. Therefore, because he/she feels empty, attempts to fill that emptiness with external substances that give him/her a false sense of balance.

To some extent, we can say that all humans are dependent. The difference between the addict and the non-addicted consumer lies in the capacity of self-observation and self-awareness, on the ability of acknowledging one’s feelings and path in life. Dependency is a form of attachment. The non-addicted consumer is not ill; he is aware of his attachments.

The alcoholic yearns for a world free of conflict.

To achieve that, he avoids conflict, instead of confronting the people with whom he experiences conflict; he gives himself up. He does not resolve his life but gets rid of the momentary frustration, and uses alcohol as a sedative. However, nothing is resolved.

The alcoholic seeks human warmth. What better way to get it than through the use of alcohol, which allows him/her to cross the barriers of inhibition and make quick and easy friends?

The alcoholic literally drowns in alcohol all that opposes his ideal of a harmonious life free of conflict.

It is common for people with kidney problems to like to drink and celebrate. The reason for that is associated with the fact that the person with renal insufficiency has trouble saying No to people with whom he associates. He finds it easier to communicate when he is under the influence of alcohol, beer, coffee, or tea, since they are diuretic substances that stimulate the kidneys. Since the kidney is an organ of communication, people feel that their ability to relate to others is improved when they drink.

Tobacco stimulates the lungs, another organ of contact and communication with others.

For this reason, when friends get together, it is customary to drink and smoke to facilitate contact and stimulate the organs associated with contact: the lungs, the bronchi, and the kidneys. Excessive drinking, however, does not address causes; it simply settles symptoms and effects.

© Copyright by Luís Martins Simões, developed by RUPEAL