Josh Hamilton has alcohol relapse

[csmtampa]

I started drinking when I was 16 or so, as well as smoking. It was easy to get a hold of that stuff when I was younger. Both kept on and got progressively worse when I joined the Marines. If we weren't deployed or training, we were drinking.Fast forward a few years and two combat tours behind me, drinking was an every day ritual. I'm not talking about a drink here or there, I'm talking about an 18 pack or a bottle of Evan Williams. I was going to school at the time and would miss class from not waking up for the drive. I would drink and have mini flashbacks that would send me over the top. I knew what I was doing was not healthy and could eventually kill me or land me in jail. So one morning I woke up and decided I didn't want to be that statistic, I wanted to change my lifestyle. I decided to break the drinking habit, as well as the smoking cigarette habit.

Fast forward to today and I have been cigarette free since April 8, 2011. And since then I have had only around 5 drinks. I didn't need to drink to get drunk, I only had one or two for special occasions, such as News Years and my wedding day. Looking back at how I used to be I don't think I realized how strong I am as a person. I overcame something powerful, something that was a hell of a lot stronger than I was. And I don't see how anyone else can't do the same thing.

:grouphug:

 

[phillyfan0417]

[quote="WoundedDuck":2xxbnz8c][quote="ChasHawk":2xxbnz8c][quote="WoundedDuck":2xxbnz8c]My point is, there is a real physiologic change that takes place with substance addiction. I agree that ultimately the person is responsible for their actions, but there has to be some middle ground. As I said before, I don't believe it's all black and white. It's not in the same place on the spectrum as other diseases, and while they still have a choice, that decision is not even close to being the same as it would for you and I.

Why not?

I smoked for 16 years. I was addicted. I would wait for my daughter to go down for a nap and then run out to the garage to have a cigarette.

But guess what? One day two years ago, I STOPPED PUTTING CIGARETTES IN MY MOUTH.

Your sample size is 1

Nicotine addiction can be considered a disease as well IMO.

But here's the thing. In order for it to be a disease, you have to leave your house, go to the store, and give the clerk your money for a pack of cigarettes.

You don't go down to Speedway and buy a pack of ****** every morning.

But you go to the supermarket and buy your heart disease.

I really wish I could get my brain to work in black and white, I would be able to save myself so much grief.

Which is also a choice. You just reinforced my point... :lol:[/quote:2xxbnz8c]
So if your past smoking was to cause a disease, god forbid, would you be ok if people didnt consider it one since the cause was your choice?

I'm having trouble following your logic?[/quote:2xxbnz8c]
Completely different scenario.

Lung cancer is a disease.

"I can't stop putting these sticks in my mouth and setting them on fire" is not.



Cirrhosis is a disease.

"I can't stop pouring alcohol in my mouth" is not.


You can't get rid of lung cancer once you have it by stopping smoking.

You can stop drinking by...wait for it...stopping drinking.[/quote:2xxbnz8c]


Like I said, I really wish I could live my life in such a black and white way.

Every day we do things that damage our bodies which means your definition should be expanded. If you smoke and get lung cancer, you are in the same boat as JH.

You got lung cancer because you smoked. Fairly easy IMO

 

[Titans74]

So the man likes to drink and whatever else. Who cares?

If he weren't Josh Hamilton of the MLB Texas Rangers it wouldn't even be news. Lincoln Parker of Johnson City, Tn likes to drink too. I don't see the media headlines, the public outcry or the forum banter on this. Nobody hung their heads and shook them with judgemental looks when Mantle was seen at a bar getting trashed or when Billy Martin was racking up DUI's. They were grown men who chose to do as they pleased. So is Hamilton.

People should worry more about themselves and less about what others choose to do on their own time. Media has really dumbed society down and made female privates parts out of so many Americans.

Billy Martin and Mickey Mantle weren't out in the public praising Jesus for helping them fight their evils either.

And Catholic priests ****** little boys. I'm sure there are millions who go to church Sunday and are shooting up or sitting in a bar drunk by Sunday night. People are hypocrites. I guess we should classify that as a disease as well?

 

[mudflap02]

Answer the other part of the question please - about drinking before the age of 21.

I did.

Am I an alcoholic now?

I doubt it - you just did what the majority of people did when they were younger, and you seem to have handled it the same way the majority of people did. I can't diagnose you, but if you don't feel like you have a problem with it, you probably aren't an addict or an alcoholic. But I only know you from the internet.

 

[ChasHawk]

But Tim, he doesn't have the "lung cancer" of drinking which is cirrhosis.

He just can't stop drinking. There is no gray there.

 

[ChasHawk]

Answer the other part of the question please - about drinking before the age of 21.

I did.

Am I an alcoholic now?

I doubt it - you just did what the majority of people did when they were younger, and you seem to have handled it the same way the majority of people did. I can't diagnose you, but if you don't feel like you have a problem with it, you probably aren't an addict or an alcoholic. But I only know you from the internet.

But you did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night...

 

[ChasHawk]

I love Evan Williams by the way.

 

[phillyfan0417]

But Tim, he doesn't have the "lung cancer" of drinking which is cirrhosis.

He just can't stop drinking. There is no gray there.

But the reason he cant stop is what many say is the disease. I think you should thank your lucky stars that you arent wired the same and you can stop. For some, it isnt that easy.

 

[mudflap02]

I started drinking when I was 16 or so, as well as smoking. It was easy to get a hold of that stuff when I was younger. Both kept on and got progressively worse when I joined the Marines. If we weren't deployed or training, we were drinking.Fast forward a few years and two combat tours behind me, drinking was an every day ritual. I'm not talking about a drink here or there, I'm talking about an 18 pack or a bottle of Evan Williams. I was going to school at the time and would miss class from not waking up for the drive. I would drink and have mini flashbacks that would send me over the top. I knew what I was doing was not healthy and could eventually kill me or land me in jail. So one morning I woke up and decided I didn't want to be that statistic, I wanted to change my lifestyle. I decided to break the drinking habit, as well as the smoking cigarette habit.

Fast forward to today and I have been cigarette free since April 8, 2011. And since then I have had only around 5 drinks. I didn't need to drink to get drunk, I only had one or two for special occasions, such as News Years and my wedding day. Looking back at how I used to be I don't think I realized how strong I am as a person. I overcame something powerful, something that was a hell of a lot stronger than I was. And I don't see how anyone else can't do the same thing.

:grouphug:

Good for you (I am not saying that in a sarcastic way) - the thing is that a lot of people never have the realization that you had when you woke up and didn't want to be a statistic.

 

[ChasHawk]

But Tim, he doesn't have the "lung cancer" of drinking which is cirrhosis.

He just can't stop drinking. There is no gray there.

But the reason he cant stop is what many say is the disease. I think you should thank your lucky stars that you arent wired the same and you can stop. For some, it isnt that easy.

I understand that some people have a problem.

I fully realize that there are people who can't stop smoking, drinking, eating, screwing, cutting themselves, getting plastic surgery, piercings, tattoos, fondling children, dry-humping their couch pillows, watching Jersey Shore, etc, etc

That doesn't mean I have to have simpathy for them, and it doesn't mean I have to recognize their personal problem as a "disease"

 

[WoundedDuck]

To many, anything involving the brain does not warrant a disease diagnosis. Depression, ADD, addiction ... these are just things that people need to get over, exercise a little self control. The reality is, chemically and physically, there are differences that make it more difficult from others not dealing with these things. Whether they did it to themselves or not makes no difference. Their decisions are not the same. Their physical body works differently and can be treated. I don't know what the dictionary definition of disease is, but to me, that's what makes the difference.

 

[Titans74]

I fully realize that there are people who can't stop smoking, drinking, eating, screwing, cutting themselves, getting plastic surgery, piercings, tattoos, fondling children, dry-humping their couch pillows, watching Jersey Shore, etc, etc

That doesn't mean I have to have simpathy for them, and it doesn't mean I have to recognize their personal problem as a "disease"

And that right there boys and girls sums it up perfectly.

 

[phillyfan0417]

But Tim, he doesn't have the "lung cancer" of drinking which is cirrhosis.

He just can't stop drinking. There is no gray there.

But the reason he cant stop is what many say is the disease. I think you should thank your lucky stars that you arent wired the same and you can stop. For some, it isnt that easy.

I understand that some people have a problem.

I fully realize that there are people who can't stop smoking, drinking, eating, screwing, cutting themselves, getting plastic surgery, piercings, tattoos, fondling children, dry-humping their couch pillows, watching Jersey Shore, etc, etc

That doesn't mean I have to have simpathy for them, and it doesn't mean I have to recognize their personal problem as a "disease"

It doesnt really matter what you recognize to be honest.

Because you dont accept it doesnt change what it is.

 

[boomo]

I fully realize that there are people who can't stop smoking, drinking, eating, screwing, cutting themselves, getting plastic surgery, piercings, tattoos, fondling children, dry-humping their couch pillows, watching Jersey Shore, etc, etc

That doesn't mean I have to have simpathy for them, and it doesn't mean I have to recognize their personal problem as a "disease"

And that right there boys and girls sums it up perfectly.

wow chaz, could not agree more, alcoholics are disgusting to me, as until someone can name one good
thing that ever came from alcohol, they always will be, and calling it a disease? what horseshit.
I had a drinking problem, gambling problem and i smoked and quit every one of them cold turkey.
Josh Hamilton cannot land up back in a crack house
with a needle in his arm fast enough for me. The 2nd chance this stupid jerk was given, they money
bestowed upon him? Oh help me, im josh hamilton, i have a disease. die.

 

[Mozzie22]

No one sets out to be chemically dependent on anything and only an ignorant fool would say addiction to alcohol and opiates is not a true disease.

Glad a few here can be glib and have lived their lives so perfect that they can toss those stones from behind the comfort of their computer screen. Hope they are comfortable in their judging this Sunday at church.

Good luck to JH, it's a terrible disease that he found himself in and has done well for many years. Stay strong and get the help you need.

Wrong! The first time that loser stuck a needle in his arm or took a drink he sent himself down that road and nobody made him do it. Oh the poor defenseless drug addict, boo hoo. A disease is something that can’t be prevented; Cancer, ALS, MS, etc. Drug addiction is not a disease it’s a consequence of poor decisions. You wrote "it's a terrible disease that he found himself in," he didn't "find himself" in it, he caused this himself and you think he deserves to be admired and praised.

Why don't you climb down off your cross and get a life.

Ugh. This post really just riles me up. There is just so much you don't seem to understand.

Yes, addiction stems from poor decisions. Every person who has ever lived has made a poor decision or two at some point in their lives. Mozzie, would you care to answer the following question - Have you ever smoked marijuana, used any other illegal drug, or did you drink alcohol before the age of 21? Most people have done at least one of the 3. Some people (addicts and alcoholics) just handle it differently than others. I can stand out in the sun for a long time without getting a sunburn. Mrs. Mudflap turns pink after about 10 seconds in direct sunlight because she is a light skinned Irish lady. Our bodies are just different and we all handle unique physical stimuli differently. Read up on the definition of a disease, along with the medical community's view of alcoholism and addiction as diseases, before you come in a public forum and start spouting off facts. "Cancer is not preventable." Right. Some forms of cancer are not preventable. Tell the person who smoked for 60 years that their lung cancer was not preventable.

Recovered addicts and alcoholics deserve to be praised the same way that cancer survivors deserve to be praised. One may be easier to beat than the other, but it is commendable to fight against what is killing you as opposed to letting it consume you without a struggle. Just because Josh Hamilton (or any other person in recovery) is looked up to doesn't mean that someone can't look up to teachers, soldiers, firefighters, whatever sort of stereotypical hero everyone is supposed to adore. He didn't make a conscious decision to become an addict, he made a conscious decision to use drugs once without knowing the path it would lead him down. You probably made the same poor decision at some point in your life, but your path led elsewhere.

I admit that I am not a doctor but I can definitively diagnose you as *Edit* Having a differing opinion. You absolutely cannot be serious about what you wrote here.

To answer your question I have never tried illegal drugs and do you know why? Because they are addictive!!! Any moron knows this. Every school district in the country starts pumping the “drugs are bad for you” message from the time you enter kindergarten to the day you graduate and that’s not to mention your parents!

I understand addiction perfectly. I have known numerous drug and alcohol addicts and understand the grip the drugs have on people but it doesn’t change the fact that all they have to do is simply stop taking them. Does smoking contribute to cancer? Sure. But nonsmokers get cancer every day and I am embarrassed for you that you feel beating cancer in any way equates to beating a drug addiction.

Answer the other part of the question please - about drinking before the age of 21.And illegal drugs are not necessarily addictive - the only thing they are with 100% certainty is illegal.

I could legally drink at 18 due to the fact I was stationed less than 50 miles from an international border and could only do so on base. Would I have if that wasn't the case? Maybe but I didn't drink in high school if that is what you are asking.

Whether illegal drugs are 100% addictive or not isn't the point; the point is that the system absolutely hammers the dangers of drugs into you as a child and still idiots do them.

 

[TomMurry]

Since this thread caught fire this morning, my day off, I've had 2 beers, smoked a cigar, had steak and eggs, watched last nights jersey shore on tv. Im addicted to days off.
I better not dry hump a pillow or Chas will have to say I TOLD YOU SO!

 

[markakis8]

Why do people like to argue everything as black and white. Can't the addiction be both the results of poor decisions AND a disease that now needs to be treated? Sure, had he not got mixed up in the stuff he did, he wouldn't be dealing with this; however, that does not mean that his addiction isn't now a disease that is impossible for him to control on his own. That's like saying STDs aren't diseases that deserve treating because they are often the results of poor decisions, or like saying type 2 diabetes isn't a disease because it's often the results of poor diet and weight control. Certainly I wouldn't put this in the same realm as cancer or some other type of disease that has nothing to do with the actions a person takes. I don't have the same type of empathy either, but it definately deserves it's own place. Josh Hamilton is definately dealing with the results caused by his own actions, but at this point I'm sure he needs help and I wish him the best in getting it.

If you make a bad decision to have unprotected sex and you get ******, you can't get rid of ****** by refraining from sex.

If you develop type 2 diabetes, you can't stop eating and suddenly not have diabetes anymore.

You can choose NOT to drink and do drugs.

Charlie that's not true at all. I've known plenty of people who had Diabetes and lost it b/c they lost weight.

 

[markakis8]

I fully realize that there are people who can't stop smoking, drinking, eating, screwing, cutting themselves, getting plastic surgery, piercings, tattoos, fondling children, dry-humping their couch pillows, watching Jersey Shore, etc, etc

That doesn't mean I have to have simpathy for them, and it doesn't mean I have to recognize their personal problem as a "disease"

And that right there boys and girls sums it up perfectly.

wow chaz, could not agree more, alcoholics are disgusting to me, as until someone can name one good
thing that ever came from alcohol, they always will be, and calling it a disease? what horseshit.
I had a drinking problem, gambling problem and i smoked and quit every one of them cold turkey.
Josh Hamilton cannot land up back in a crack house
with a needle in his arm fast enough for me. The 2nd chance this stupid jerk was given, they money
bestowed upon him? Oh help me, im josh hamilton, i have a disease. die.

Geez Matt, there's a lot of bitterness in this post. This post really surprises me.

 

[Captain Feathersword]

Why do people like to argue everything as black and white. Can't the addiction be both the results of poor decisions AND a disease that now needs to be treated? Sure, had he not got mixed up in the stuff he did, he wouldn't be dealing with this; however, that does not mean that his addiction isn't now a disease that is impossible for him to control on his own. That's like saying STDs aren't diseases that deserve treating because they are often the results of poor decisions, or like saying type 2 diabetes isn't a disease because it's often the results of poor diet and weight control. Certainly I wouldn't put this in the same realm as cancer or some other type of disease that has nothing to do with the actions a person takes. I don't have the same type of empathy either, but it definately deserves it's own place. Josh Hamilton is definately dealing with the results caused by his own actions, but at this point I'm sure he needs help and I wish him the best in getting it.

If you make a bad decision to have unprotected sex and you get ******, you can't get rid of ****** by refraining from sex.

If you develop type 2 diabetes, you can't stop eating and suddenly not have diabetes anymore.

You can choose NOT to drink and do drugs.

Charlie that's not true at all. I've known plenty of people who had Diabetes and lost it b/c they lost weight.

As a type 2 diabetic, and as a chemist, you can never lose diabetes. The proclivity is genetic, your genes cannot change your insulin insensitivity when you gain weight. Those people who have 'lost' they type 2 will get it back if they put weight back on.

 

[markakis8]

Why do people like to argue everything as black and white. Can't the addiction be both the results of poor decisions AND a disease that now needs to be treated? Sure, had he not got mixed up in the stuff he did, he wouldn't be dealing with this; however, that does not mean that his addiction isn't now a disease that is impossible for him to control on his own. That's like saying STDs aren't diseases that deserve treating because they are often the results of poor decisions, or like saying type 2 diabetes isn't a disease because it's often the results of poor diet and weight control. Certainly I wouldn't put this in the same realm as cancer or some other type of disease that has nothing to do with the actions a person takes. I don't have the same type of empathy either, but it definately deserves it's own place. Josh Hamilton is definately dealing with the results caused by his own actions, but at this point I'm sure he needs help and I wish him the best in getting it.

If you make a bad decision to have unprotected sex and you get ******, you can't get rid of ****** by refraining from sex.

If you develop type 2 diabetes, you can't stop eating and suddenly not have diabetes anymore.

You can choose NOT to drink and do drugs.

Charlie that's not true at all. I've known plenty of people who had Diabetes and lost it b/c they lost weight.

As a type 2 diabetic, and as a chemist, you can never lose diabetes. The proclivity is genetic, your genes cannot change your insulin insensitivity when you gain weight. Those people who have 'lost' they type 2 will get it back if they put weight back on.

Got ya, I understand that.