Re: Alcoholism is NOTHING like diabetes (of special interest to Pete)

January 19, 2001

Hi Rita

The alcoholism=diabetes thing really does makes no sense. As you

wrtie, most diabetes is acquried where the disease ppl claim

alcoholism is inherited. Ironically the analogy might be closer in

that most alcoholism is acquired!

P.

>

> It used to totally piss me off in treatment whenever the

imbecile counselors used to say " Alcoholism is a disease very similar

to diabetes " -- I have lost several family members to complications

from diabetes and it is a REAL disease, absolutely nothing like

problem drinking! (Diabetes is not caused by eating too much sugar,

and blood sugar levels in diabetics can fluctuate tremendously, with

damaging results, regardless of avoiding sugar and following diet and

medication protocols. OTOH blood alcohol levels cannot ever rise

above zero, or near-zero, without the individual ingesting alcohol!)

>

> Anyway, for anyone interested, here is a brief summary of the

latest research discovery on diabetes, with a link to a longer version

at the bottom. When and if scientists ever find a hormone or other

biological marker that makes blood alcohol levels rise without the

conscious participation of the patient, maybe I'll start considering

the " alcoholism is a disease " idea.

>

> ~Rita

>

> *** Hormone may be key to diabetes

>

> (AP) - Scientists have discovered a hormone that may explain the

link between diabetes and obesity - a tantalizing finding that could

someday lead to new treatments for the disease. The hormone, dubbed

resistin, is produced by fat cells and prompts tissues to resist

insulin, the substance the body needs to process blood sugar,

researchers said. Diabetics produce too little insulin or cannot use

it efficiently. Obesity is one of the biggest risk factors for Type

II, or adult-onset, diabetes. The adult-onset form of the disease

accounts for more than 90% of all cases of diabetes. The University of

Pennsylvania scientists identified resistin in mice and found genetic

evidence that the same hormone exists in humans, though they have yet

to isolate it. Mice given resistin were not able to process blood

sugar as well as those that were not given the hormone. And mice given

a drug that lowers resistin levels were better able to process blood

sugar and use insulin.

>

> Full article at:

>

> http://www.infobeat.com/fullArticle?article=405870020

>

> ------------------------------------------------------------

> --== Sent via Deja.com ==--

> http://www.deja.com/

January 20, 2001

<< It used to totally piss me off in treatment whenever the imbecile

counselors used to say " Alcoholism is a disease very similar to diabetes " --

I have lost several family members to complications from diabetes and it is a

REAL disease, absolutely nothing like problem drinking! >>

One thing that drove me up the wall in AA was their insensitivity towards

anyone with any serious disease, and that diabetes line that seems to be

everywhere spells this out. The first meetings I went to were right after my

father died, and somewhere along the line I let it slip that he had died of

cancer and had (obviously) been on potent pain medication right before he

died. The response I got was almost always something like " your father must

have been an addict, only addicts take that kind of stuff, how horrible it

was that he enabled you with those drugs in the house " . Sometimes the person

would start asking the specifics of the pills, get excited, start laughing,

etc.

" Recovery " message boards all over the net have ardent groupers who spell out

this crap in a different way. They spend a lot of time talking about how

EVIL medication is (not just " cunning, baffling, and powerful " ), how evil and

deceptive the pharmaceutical companies are, and how the government needs to

step in (after putting all these helpless victims in expensive rehabs at

taxpayers expense) and ban morphine et al. from any use whatsoever. Because

THEY got addicted to it, noone should be able to take it legally, and then

THEY would rule out the medical profession as a source to get drugs from.

Screw anyone who legitimately needs the stuff, they must be addicts. Perhaps

throw the doctor in jail too, or at least label him a sick and sadonistic

creature for ever believing that the " alkie " was really in pain. Never have

I heard someone say that, perhaps, it was wrong for them to lie and

manipulate people in order to get drugs.

January 21, 2001

I have seen on various TV shows on people who are in chronic pain

because of illness. Morphine does not get them " high " because there is

existing pain. It eliminates the pain. In the absence of pain,

morphine gives a high. I know morphine was given to soldiers in combat

to use in case of being seriously wounded. Seems very sensible to me.

Apple

>

> In a message dated 1/19/01 11:37:28 AM, rita66@w... writes:

>

> << It used to totally piss me off in treatment whenever the imbecile

> counselors used to say " Alcoholism is a disease very similar to diabetes " --

> I have lost several family members to complications from diabetes and it is a

> REAL disease, absolutely nothing like problem drinking! >>

>

> One thing that drove me up the wall in AA was their insensitivity towards

> anyone with any serious disease, and that diabetes line that seems to be

> everywhere spells this out. The first meetings I went to were right after my

> father died, and somewhere along the line I let it slip that he had died of

> cancer and had (obviously) been on potent pain medication right before he

> died. The response I got was almost always something like " your father must

> have been an addict, only addicts take that kind of stuff, how horrible it

> was that he enabled you with those drugs in the house " . Sometimes the person

> would start asking the specifics of the pills, get excited, start laughing,

> etc.

>

> " Recovery " message boards all over the net have ardent groupers who spell out

> this crap in a different way. They spend a lot of time talking about how

> EVIL medication is (not just " cunning, baffling, and powerful " ), how evil and

> deceptive the pharmaceutical companies are, and how the government needs to

> step in (after putting all these helpless victims in expensive rehabs at

> taxpayers expense) and ban morphine et al. from any use whatsoever. Because

> THEY got addicted to it, noone should be able to take it legally, and then

> THEY would rule out the medical profession as a source to get drugs from.

> Screw anyone who legitimately needs the stuff, they must be addicts. Perhaps

> throw the doctor in jail too, or at least label him a sick and sadonistic

> creature for ever believing that the " alkie " was really in pain. Never have

> I heard someone say that, perhaps, it was wrong for them to lie and

> manipulate people in order to get drugs.

January 21, 2001