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?

It was an example. I'm hardly going to go through every nhs am i?

You said it wasn't available, it is.

I’m really surprised the Samaritans blocked your number!

You keep insulting people with comments like this. I disagree with you that is all and different opinions are ok. Stop attacking people. I am debating politely and correcting your errors when you said nhs detox isn't available <it is>.

Thing is sport provides so many benefits health and wellbeing wise. Drug taking and excess drinking don't provide any. It's a risks v benefits thing isn't it.

Drinkers can access counselling easily they need to ask for it, nhs detox won't be available on every street corner but it is available. I won't be so rude as to suggest you may be 'ignorant' for not understanding this.

Honestly they did. Apparently I called too much

So do addicts. We go to doctors and are turned away. If you actually had any idea you'd realise people start drinking and using when they're children! Like 12 or 13 years old because they are so damaged. So tell me again that addicts chose this fucking life.

I know but what I am saying is addiction is not the illness, addicts use their substance of choice to self medicate for another underlying issue.

Physical detox and addressing the psychological addiction/permanent brain changes/life circumstances which drive the person to use, are very, very, very different things

And less than 5% of alcoholics are able to access physical detox on the NHS

Yes fair enough but if the addict persisted for help once over the physical withdrawal would that not help?

I dont believe that, if you were in physical withdrawal and went to A&E i doubt you would be turned away. I just suppose doctors think it is a waste of time helping as they will just drink again.

The addiction is not the illness, there is an underlying reason why people become addicts which should be looked at first.

Will discovering the reason why people become addicts stop them being addicts?

Because you are completely ignorant.

the nearest place my brother, in Devon, could access help was Birmingham. He could only do this with financial and logistical aid from family. Without that, how did you propose he got help? He wanted help. It was hundreds of miles away and cost thousands of pounds.

you are simplifying every situation and pointing a finger at a vulnerable group in society. You deserve the rudeness.

Addiction is an illness and disease of the brain. It's been proven. You're literally arguing with scientists on this one! Like I said before people start using as children... usually due to lack of education about drugs and alcohol is so widely accepted. Addiction does not discriminate either.

Yes but the reason they start is because they are struggling with trauma/mental health

Honestly I have just been rude to someone because of their lack/unwillingness to open their mind. It's a waste of time. Just let them have their opinions. Like I'm always told "opinions are like arseholes, we all have them and most stink"

Yes! Trauma and mental health or things like undiagnosed ADHD. My mum was because she had a baby die of cot death at 6 weeks old. The doctor gave her vallium to cope and she got stuck on them for years. She didn't know in the 80s they were addictive

Exactly, so the addiction is not really the issue, its a reason. The issue is the untreated mental health condition

Or asking why your child can’t get an A in a maths exam like his brother, or win an Olympic swimming gold medal-we all have different capabilities.

Look at the number of obese people and we don’t consider food addictive.
if it was easy to control these things everyone would.

It would depend if they had space on the liver ward to admit you. When my alcoholic mate went to A&E with withdrawal they kept him for a bit and then released him. He didn't have medical withdrawal because there was no bed for him on liver.

I appreciate that the edgelord persona you've adopted for this thread is keeping it active (although you have slipped up a few times and shown that you've got a better understanding of addiction than you're mainly pretending to have), but it's not really in keeping with your OP, which is rather sad. How's your relative's DD doing?

Yesss addiction is a symptom. But then when physical addiction comes, it becomes a condition per se as well as a symptom.

Yeah kind of. Sometimes people with no mental health conditions start drinking or using and it starts off as once a week and creeps up on them. I hope now there's more education on it we will have less of this happening. I educate my son and he knows the risks.

But a person with no mental health issues or trauma will not be drinking to escape the feelings as they are of sound mind? they are more likely to acknowledge the problem and deal with it

Gosh, its like you are SO close to realising yet so far.....

Do you just get off on insulting people for no reason? get off your high horse.

”Once over the physical withdrawal”?? It’s the withdrawal they need help with!!!! 🤦🏻‍♀️

DTs have a 37% mortality rate without medical intervention.

ETA: My brother waited months for rehab which he finally accessed through a charity (Turning Point), not the NHS. He was told to reduce his drinking while he waited (to 40 units a day) but not to stop as it’s too risky.