Page 3 of 3 FirstFirst 123
Results 21 to 24 of 24

Thread: Do you believe that alcoholism is a disease?

  1. #21
    Senior Member JaneV2.0's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    15,489
    And a BASE jumper* has a much higher risk of being injured or dying in an accident than the general population. BASE jumpers are "adrenaline junkies." Are they suffering from a disease? The definition is imprecise at best.

    *I would recommend watching the video "20 Seconds of Joy" for a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a woman driven to flirt with death.

  2. #22
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    9,656
    thrill seeking personality is linked to drug addiction, which is what I meant that some people do it out of boredom (not just a boring day at work, that tends to lead to a raid on the vending machine at most, but more having a high threshold for stimulation as part of one's basic PERSONALITY itself). So they do drugs instead of base jumping I guess, base jumping might be healthier, although I suppose both might kill you.
    Trees don't grow on money

  3. #23
    Geila
    Guest
    I do think there is a chemical component to addiction, the same way that there is a chemical component to depression and other mental illnesses. A friend was talking about the first time she had codeine and how she felt incredible. She had never felt so great. Now she has to be very, very careful with meds because she can easily become addicted. I remember when I took codeine for a root canal. It made me feel queasy and sick. I only took the one dose and that's it, I switched to Advil. It did not make me feel great. Same drug, totally different chemical reactions.

    I've also tried pot, cigarettes, and cocaine once, and none of it was enjoyable. Alcohol makes me feel very sleepy. So I don't bother with it anymore.

    But.... put a pastry in front of me and it's a different story! Sugar and carbs make me feel great. They release some sort of chemicals in my brain that make them addictive.

    It really is a shame that mental chemical imbalances and/or diseases are so stigmatized.

  4. #24
    Senior Member gimmethesimplelife's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    6,686
    Quote Originally Posted by Geila View Post
    I do think there is a chemical component to addiction, the same way that there is a chemical component to depression and other mental illnesses. A friend was talking about the first time she had codeine and how she felt incredible. She had never felt so great. Now she has to be very, very careful with meds because she can easily become addicted. I remember when I took codeine for a root canal. It made me feel queasy and sick. I only took the one dose and that's it, I switched to Advil. It did not make me feel great. Same drug, totally different chemical reactions.

    I've also tried pot, cigarettes, and cocaine once, and none of it was enjoyable. Alcohol makes me feel very sleepy. So I don't bother with it anymore.

    But.... put a pastry in front of me and it's a different story! Sugar and carbs make me feel great. They release some sort of chemicals in my brain that make them addictive.

    It really is a shame that mental chemical imbalances and/or diseases are so stigmatized.
    Hi Geila,

    Your post makes me think of when I was hospitalized with a liver infection last December. I was in a great deal of pain when I checked in - apparently infections can mess with your nerve endings and really make your hurt bad. They shot me up with morphine - and it was like someone whupped me up the side of the head with a cast iron frying pan. It was not enjoyable per se but I can see where morphine would be addictive as it quickly takes you to another plane where pain just ebbs away and everything feels floaty. I'm glad I felt no desire to feel that again after I was checked out and went home! Scary stuff these opiates are. Rob

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •