It is because of that shared “phenomenon” (and several others) that I do not believe people who struggle with alcohol and drugs are diseased. I can see that those who drink and use drugs struggle with a tendency that lives in all human beings. Their struggle may be on a much deeper level, but it is nonetheless a struggle with what is a universal tendency—to resist change.
Many addicts report having “hit bottom” before they were able to grab themselves by the boot straps and turn their lives around. But that is not something that only occurs in the life and mind of an alcoholic or drug addict. That pattern—making necessary change only at the brink of destruction—happens to all sorts of people when they reach a certain level or circumstance that is so displeasing they can’t take it anymore.
On the other hand, there are people who reach the brink of destruction and do not make any changes. They die that way. Hitting bottom is not a magic cure. It often frightens people enough to make life-altering changes, but not every time.
There are also people on the planet who have a slight sense they could live better before they notice any sort of destruction in their life. This person might not be seeing any immediate results from their bad habits but has the determination to make adjustments in the present. They do not need to reach the brink of destruction. The difference between this person and the person who does not make changes and therefore dies is not disease. The difference is that one person is understanding and mastering the universal dynamics of change, the other is not.
While hitting bottom or nearing the brink of destruction has certainly been proven to wake some people up, it can also allow for irreversible damage and it does not always succeed as a method to instigate positive change.
Here is a fact: No matter when a person (or entire planet) decides to change, doing so requires effort. But I’ll tell you one thing in regards to effort and drinking. Drinking every single day, year after year, also requires effort—and a LOT of it. So again I return to my principle of self-care. What would you wish upon your most beloved? Near insurmountable obstacles, or the easier route—change while you still have a choice.
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