Is there a difference between alcoholism and drug addiction?If there is a difference between alcoholism and drug addiction, it does not seem to be a very significant one. Both alcoholics and addicts experience the compulsion and obsession.. Both alcoholics and addicts find that they cannot control their using, and that their condition worsens over time. For all practical purposes, it would seem that alcoholism and drug addiction are two forms of the same disease. Here at Recovery-Inn, we refer to addiction as any substance that we use addictively. Though some addicts do not like this inclusive terminology, we believe that alcoholics are just addicts who are addicted to alcohol, overeaters are addicts addicted to food, etc.
There are some alcoholics who believe that they can use drugs safely. In AA, this is sometimes referred to as the "marijuana maintenance program," when the drug is marijuana, or "chewing your booze," when the drug is a prescription narcotic. There are also some drug addicts have decided that it was safe for them to drink as long as they did not use drugs. NA literature advises that alcohol should be treated as a drug.
Almost always, alcoholics who try using drugs find that they cannot control their drug use anymore than they can control their drinking. Addicts who experiment with controlled drinking usually find that they cannot control their drinking, or that drinking always leads them back to using drugs. This is sometimes true for other addicts as well. Sex addicts, compulsive gamblers and overeaters, love addicts, workaholics, and other addicts often find that they cannot use drugs or alcohol safely.
There is also the phenomenon known as "switching addictions" where an addict finds that as they stop using one substance, they switch to using another. In this way, for example, a sex addict might become a compulsive gambler, and then a compulsive overeater before switching to drug use and binge drinking.
Here at Recovery-Inn, we strongly urge all addicts to carefully monitor their relationships with all substances. We must be vigilant and stay honest with ourselves.
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Wed Oct 13, 2010 10:35 am