A Drug is a Drug….

Alcohol is a drug but varies greatly from other mind altering / habitual substances.
Both are addictive, may provide a spiritual experience, can cause withdrawal symptoms and
adverse physical side effects.

Personally I am not quite aware of how alcohol is addictive to the non-alcoholic. My guess is that the
nature of the addict is such that just about anything can be habit forming. Habitual drugs are more than that. Once hooked the user begins to
experience a physical need to do more. However that hankering stops for a while once the craving is satisfied.

There is a broad variance between the way alcoholic’s body responds to alcohol and the way a drug addict’s body responds to a fix. When the alcoholic begins to drink… that is when the allergic reaction is fired. The presence of alcohol creates a physical craving for more alcohol in the body of
the alcoholic.

But let’s talk about people. I believe that inside all people long for spiritual contentment. However, to some that need is easily filled. As these people grow up… they may be taught some form of spiritual life… and they just take to it.

As an alcoholic I feel I was born a little thicker. I couldn’t or at least wouldn’t properly respond to what I was taught. Then one day I found something that made me feel complete. I had a spiritual experience as the result of drinking beverage alcohol.

Alcoholics and addicts may very well share this type of response to one chemical experience or another. Some may find it in a variety of ways.

What is important is that the solution to the spiritual malady of both the ‘real addict’ and the ‘real alcoholic’ is the same.

Life in and around AA and other fellowships would be a lot easier to track if this actual hopelessness existed in everyone that walks in the rooms. This is not the case.

Alcohol and drugs can both provide adverse physical and life experiences to anyone human. This includes them that find spirituality easily and them that can find a way to be at least somewhat tolerably happy without spirituality.

Although some of these former hard drinkers and drug users are generally openly welcome into AA (etc)… they will never fully understand or comprehend what is actually happening (or is supposed to be happening) when it comes to the practical program of action. In many cases they need only abstinence… not spirituality.

They may be one of the… people saying a drug is a drug, just don’t drink, keep coming back… or anyone of the numerous mis-guided slogans that are often perpetuated.

More to the point…
Drug addicts should not do habitual drugs.
This includes alcohol.
And alcoholics should not drink alcohol in any
form…. including many drugs.

Printable Article: A Drug is a Drug

Submitted by: DanMTampa

Articles posted on this site do not rpresent the views of Club Recovery or any Group.