Rescue

I am just finishing Anita Shreve's newest book "Rescue".  It is very poignant to me as I just had a friend tell me about her daughter and then her granddaughter becoming alcoholics.

The thing that is interesting about the book is that the daughter who supposedly became an alcoholic in high school had not  been living with her alcoholic mother after the age of 2 so--she could not have learned the behavior from her mother and her father was not a drinker.
 
On a side note: One of the medics explained the situation about alcohol in marriage.  He said you start out your married life with romantic dinners with wine and like it so well you continue.  And then one of you eventually has a problem with alcohol and becomes alcoholic. This is the problem with having that first drink.  You never know who will be able to take it or leave it and who cannot leave it alone.  In the book, Webster discovered his wife was drinking whiskey while nursing her baby. 

Although the daughter does not see the mother again till she is 17, she knows from age 12 what her mother was.  The question remains, did the daughter drink because of a physical dependence because of her genes or did she believe in her mind that she had no other option than to be "just like her mother".   In either case she would have to totally stop drinking to overcome the problem.

The following is from the A.D.A.M Medical Encyclopedia:

Alcohol dependence; Alcohol abuse; Problem drinking; Drinking problem

Last reviewed: March 20, 2011.

Alcoholism (alcohol dependence) and alcohol abuse are two different forms of problem drinking.

• Alcoholism is when you have signs of physical addiction to alcohol and continues to drink, despite problems with physical health, mental health, and social, family, or job responsibilities. Alcohol may control your life and relationships.
• Alcohol abuse is when your drinking leads to problems, but not physical addiction.

There is no known cause of alcohol abuse or alcoholism. Research suggests that certain genes may increase the risk of alcoholism, but which genes and how they work are not known.

How much you drink can influence your chances of becoming dependent. Those at risk for developing alcoholism include:

• Men who have 15 or more drinks a week
• Women who have 12 or more drinks a week
• Anyone who has five or more drinks per occasion at least once a week

One drink is defined as a 12-ounce bottle of beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or a 1 1/2-ounce shot of liquor.
You have an increased risk for alcohol abuse and dependence if you have a parent with alcoholism.
You may also be more likely to abuse alcohol or become dependent if you:

• Are a young adult under peer pressure
• Have depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, or schizophrenia
• Have easy access to alcohol
• Have low self-esteem
• Have problems with relationships
• Live a stressful lifestyle
• Live in a culture alcohol use is more common and accepted

Alcohol abuse is rising. Around 1 out of 6 people in the United States have a drinking problem.
.................................
One of the men observed in Sunday School Class that the reason we should not become addicted to anything is that the addiction numbs our ability to recognize and receive spiritual truths.