>>>>>>
http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/11/showbiz/whitney-houston-dead/index.html?hpt=hp_t1>>>>>>
>>>>>>Sad. She was really talented.
>>>>>
>>>>>I heard she didn't even like cocaine. She just liked the way it smelled.
>>>>>
>>>>>Too soon?
>>>>
>>>>48, yeah, that's sooner than anyone should go. Obviously she had issues and they caught up to her. That doesn't make it any less sad.
>>>>
>>>>And I don't want to hear anyone say she should have just quit.
>>>
>>>
>>>She should have... My oldest son did..
>>
>>Good for your son but it's not that simple, John. Unfortunately I know a little bit more about addiction than you do, even though you have been closely exposed to it. Being addicted to alcohol or drugs is completely irrational. There is nothing rational about it. Do you think anyone with even half a mind would put themself through it by choice?
>>
>>Addicts do sometimes recover, though, as your son did. There are recovered addicts right on this forum. I have seen it personally and that keeps me hanging in there. It is NOT a matter of willpower. That is a misconception. The disease can take you over like the devil himself.
>
>That's a copout and you know it... When you stand before a glass of alcohol or pills or whatever you vice is, to reach out and grab it is a concious decision you make. You can decide to do it or not do it. But tho say there is nothing you can do about it is BS.... It solely depends on your motivation, will power and character.
I didn't say there is nothing you can do about it. But there isn't everything you can do about it, either, if that makes any sense. It does not depend solely on motivation, willpower, and character. Alcoholism has been recognized as a disease by the AMA for nearly 50 years now. It's treatable, it's curable, but it sure isn't just a matter of choice or willpower. You shouldn't orate about things you don't understand from your seat up in the grandstand.
I just did one good thing, going to my first AA meeting in months. So that's a step in the right direction. And I intend to "keep coming back." It was really good to be there, see a lot of the people around the table, and listen to what they had to say. One of the maxims of AA is you never, ever, EVER give up on an alcoholic, and I was welcomed back warmly. Just as I listen carefully to what you have to say about .NET, I listen carefully to what they have to say about alcohol and recovery. They know what they're talking about from direct experience.
