The reason most alcoholics or addicts lose control is because an allergy triggers a craving in us when we put our substances in our body. The Doctor’s Opinion chapter in our Alcoholics Anonymous book revealed this fact to me. It was a truth that hit me right in the face and continues ringing in my mind. I couldn’t deny my allergy of craving based on my drinking history. When I started a night of drinking, it was impossible to know when I would stop or what I would do.
The understanding that I have a bodily allergy mixed with a negative, obsessive, denial driven mind keeps me focused on staying in recovery one day at a time. I have no desire to test out the craving idea by having one drink or just a little bit of weed (or some other drug). This knowledge also keeps me going to recovery meetings so I can get a reminder from others.
Us alcoholics and addicts have been focused on our substances for a while. This also leads to our state of denial. We think we are fine, comparing ourselves to others. We tell ourselves and those close to us that we are just having fun or it’s not a big deal. We hide the amount we are taking or isolate while doing it. Our substances become the most important things in our lives. We are usually clueless about how we got there.
With all those base truths in mind, we veterans also have bonus issues that can instensify addictions of all types. We get them from difficult deployments, our military mentality, different types of pain, and the ways we learned to think and act (to name a few). This chapter covers the major ones that I’ve seen in myself and others.