To wonder if addiction is a choice

[BarbaraAnnee]

I am sorry if this sounds insensitive to some people but I just wondered what people thought of this. A relative of mine is an alcoholic and due to her being unfit, her parents have had to permanently look after her DD. I feel so bad for her and just wondered if she really loved her DD she would just stop drinking?

Almost none on NHS. You have to be really almost at death's door to get on the liver ward. And then they detox you but then just kick you out, or, in very limited circumstances, put you on a waiting list for rehab which can take up to two years.

If you have means and money you can get a private detox and go straight into 28 day rehab.

A cursory Google brings up nhs provision, for example see below.. Also alcohol care teams have you heard of those?

https://www.nhstayside.scot.nhs.uk/OurServicesA-Z/TaysideSubstanceUseServices/PROD_347252/index.htm

Of course there won't be one on every doorstep, the NHS obviously has plenty of other people that need care and attention. I think we'd all rather see diseases and illnesses that aren't self inflicted as a priority.

We're all strong people fighting our own private battles. Yes addicts make mistakes, unfortunately they do not learn from them and they make them over and over again making any sympathy for them incredibly difficult.

You must stop thinking your brain is wired differently, these negative thought processes play into the whole 'can't help it' narrative.

Anyway good luck, hope you manage to continue to put your health and well being first (and those close to you) and keep in control of your compulsions.

People who are addicts have to stop for themselves, not for somebody else

That's the ultimate definition of selfishness isn't it? And that's why people who are not addicted people who are addicted as being selfish.

I think to suggest that anti depressants is in the same league is ridiculous, They fix a chemical imbalance in the brain and help a person recover, the same as antibiotics would fix an infection. It does not compare!

I also understand why it is so hard for people with alcoholism to get liver transplants etc because there are people who have not abused their body who deserve it most. The issue should be addressed miles before the damage is done, there are huge steps from acknowledging you drink too much to irreversible liver damage.

ah and there it is.

the NHS shouldn’t treat self inflicted illness.

how does that work when they turn up in a and e?

shall we extend it to fat people?

people who do dangerous sports?

@determinedtomakethiswork

That’s a pretty facile way of looking at it. If you were on fire, you could only think of your own pain. You couldn’t even begin to think about others because you’re on fire and it’s agony and you’re terrified.

I don’t believe that addicts are naturally selfish people, it’s the addiction that causes the selfishness. It’s a compulsion, it’s all they can focus on. Nobody says to an OCD sufferer “It’s really easy, you just have to choose not to have obsessions or compulsions”. We understand that it’s a mental disorder, not a choice.

But people with OCD will go to their doctor and get help with the right medication for that particular problem, not drink litres of vodka.

Oh. All of them?

It is a forum where people voice their opinions, you cannot become argumentative when somebody's opinion differs to yours, or is it that the truth hurts?

Absolutely not no, some will make the wrong decision and self medicate with alcohol/ILLEGAL drugs and it goes from there. The addiction is not the illness, there is an underlying reason why people become addicts which should be looked at first.

Well I didn't say that did I. I said detox is infact available on the nhs (please see my link) when you just said it wasnt available? Not on every doorstep, resources are limited and I think cancer treatment etc should be a priority when funds are limited.

'Dangerous sports'? What?

Addiction is also a recognised mental health disorder so what is your point here? That your opinion matters more than decades of research and we should immediately rewrite NICE guidelines? DSM 5 Criteria for Substance Use Disorders (verywellmind.com)

I think it is great that they detox you, what you do from there once a person has successfully withdrawn from it is down to the person. Doctors cannot live your life for you, adults make their own decisions.

The addiction takes control of choice of free will of.logic of decision making. Unfortunately creating a personality that will put the addiction first, over relationships, ambition and self care. I could never stay in the life of an alcoholic, again because of that. Others may have greater wells of compassion.

Indeed. What a way to talk to someone who has been very polite to them! Charming.

Yes but once they have been successfully detoxed, it is their decision to use again? instead they should seek help as to why they feel the need to block out uncomfortable feelings and go from there, otherwise it will never end.

My late husband was a Psychiatrist and hon. senior lecturer in addictive behaviour at UCL. What I learned from him is that addiction is absolutely not a choice,
but that there is a strong genetic component involved. Hope this helps.

You linked one place in Teeside.

I think the word “uncomfortable” is extremely minimising and dismissive. In my DM’s case, I understand that her feelings were agony, not mere discomfort. To the point that she regularly attempted suicide because she could not bear those feelings.

Yes, I understand, I have been there and begged and begged for help. It was honestly the most awful and frightening thing I have ever been through. It would have been a hell of a lot easier for me to numb my thoughts with drugs but I didnt, I literally begged for help, to the point where Samaritans blocked my number, the crisis team knew my name. I look back now and honestly can not believe what I went through. I am a lot stronger for it now though

Intellectually challenged because our opinion differs to yours?