Drinking alone
Why do people consider drinking alone to be such a bad thing?
For example, right now, I am trashed. There is nothing going wrong in my life. In fact, I'm a pretty happy little fella.
There's no problem I'm trying to escape. It's not a regular thing. I was just outside having a cigarette and thinking, "man, I'd really like to be trashed right now." And now I am.
Being drunk pretty much rules, alone or not.
Comments
I think a lot of perceptions about alcohol have been warped by propaganda just like any other drug.
What is so wrong with feeling good about yourself alone? If AA is about making drunks feel ashamed of themselves, they are ashamed by what they do to other people, or make themselves look to other people. There wouldn't be any harm if drunks got drunk alone, in private.
Writing this i'm kind of thinking there are these weird mastabatory parallels. Sure, its accepted, but there is still this stigma surrounding masturbation. Same thing about drinking alone.
Maybe since we are social creatures we feel the need to shame people into doing things in a group. i think this is bullshit, because there are extroverts AND introverts.
Anyway, enough rambling, where is my wine?
For the record, whackin' off doesn't hurt anything either.
The whole "surrendering your life to a higher power" thing inherent in most of the 12-step programs sort of freaks me out. Reasonable people don't solve their problems that way. All it does is force them to admit they're weak and they can't do anything without religion, which to me sounds like something a cult would do. It's a dangerous way of thinking, and when it's being used to prey on addicts, it's completely, inexcusably horrible.
And besides, it's one thing to voluntarily join, but a lot of people join because they got convicted of something that requires it. Drug convictions, maybe repeat DUI's, whatever. These people in no way deserve to be victimized by this way of thinking, that somehow drug users are lesser people than teetotallers. Putting them in a situation where they're essentially forced to admit that they have a "problem" that needs to be "fixed" is ridiculous. Alcoholism isn't a problem until you don't want to be an alcoholic anymore. Same with drug addiction. Even then, the fact that the primary option is AA or NA is a load of crap.
All that said, AA and NA aren't predatory. They're simply there for anyone who wants to walk in. What motivates them to walk in, whether it's self-recognized need or a count-mandated treatment, is not the business of AA or NA. They don't judge, they don't turn people away, they simply try to help the people who walk in the door.
But, back to the point- you're not an addict, or an alcoholic. If you want to get drunk by yourself once in awhile, that's your business. I do think that you're right that the term "alcoholic" shouldn't be slung around in the context of a joke. It devalues the struggles of true alcoholics and pisses off people who aren't.
Hell, I'd say it's entirely their choice until they decide they need help. If an addict alienates their loved ones, that's their problem. No one can solve it for them and if they don't want to get help and solve it themselves, no one can really do much for them. No one should be forced to get "help" against their will. At that point, it's not help so much as coercion and brainwashing.
I really have no problem with AA and NA as long as all attendance is voluntary.
If someone doesn't want to get help, why should they?
It's sad what alcoholism does to people, but you can't help someone who doesn't want it. If someone is happy being an alcoholic, no AA meeting is going to change that.
All shit, everywhere.
I'm beginning to think I really do genuinely hate most things and most people.