My alcoholism isn’t my fault. It’s a disease. It’s an allergy! I can’t help it.

What kind of horseshit is this, you ask! You’ll hear a lot of alcoholics talking about this. The Big Book mentions it. Seems like a cop-out? Do alcoholics just have no self-control? Well, think of it this way.

First, let’s define our terms. According to the dictionary:

allergy

noun

al·​ler·​gy ˈa-lər-jē 

1: altered bodily reactivity (such as hypersensitivity) to an antigen in response to a first exposure

2: exaggerated or pathological immunological reaction (as by sneezing, difficult breathing, itching, or skin rashes) to substances, situations, or physical states that are without comparable effect on the average individual

3: medical practice concerned with allergies

4: a feeling of antipathy or aversion

I’m going with the second entry for this argument.

Now, let’s consider a normal person’s reaction to drinking alcohol. They tell me that they have a drink or two and start to “feel a little tipsy” or like they’re “not in control”. Two or three more drinks and they start to feel a little sick or maybe even nauseated. This is completely understandable. Alcohol is a poison. It’s a toxic substance. The healthy body’s reaction should be to want to get it out and throw it up!

When an alcoholic has a drink, it’s completely different. When we have a drink, we get thirstier! The alcohol doesn’t make us sick; it creates a craving. We want more. This craving process is sometimes not within their control or awareness, leading to more consumption. The mind is completely baffled by the alcohol and just wants more.

So, one drink isn’t enough. That first drink just starts a chain reaction that leads to more and more drinking. This process is neatly summarized in a quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald:

First, you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.

What’s the solution? Don’t take that first drink! Avoid that first drink like the plague because the initial thought of craving can transform into a physiological need if alcohol is consumed. You might be thinking about drinking, but once you do, there is no coming back!