Is alcoholism a disease or a sin ?

[WhiteKnuckle]

Yes - I agree with your point about the propaganda and misinformation, which was spread by the Temperance Movement. Have you watched Ken Burns Prohibition documentary? It is very good.

There needs to be more research about the damage alcohol can do to the brain - we do know that alcoholic dementia is real.

I agree, dementia is real. Long term alcoholics do suffer from it. What I've noticed is people who sober up also seem to recover from dementia. I think some things still lack as the brain cells grow slower, and there's still the unaddressed chemical imbalance that was more than likely present before hand. It's hard to say that alcohol is the exact cause, although easily suspect. In order to actually define alcoholic dementia, we must first know the alcoholic from the beginning to the end. The sad part is, there's rarely tests of before, during, and after sobriety to compare too.

Seretonin type chemical imbalances do tend to get better as the "victim" get's older. I think alcohol inhibits the production of new chemicals in the brain that would aid in the long term recovery.

 

[Vengle]

Sin itself is both a rebellion and a disease.

The disease part (which many call the sin nature but confuse with our natural nature as humans) is the nature of sin (a nature not owned by our body, but owned by sin thus making us sin's slave; a slave to the nature of sin). Our nature as humans is very simply that if we listen to God we have the wisdom from God to act wisely but to the extent that we ignore God we act foolishly. That is our nature irrespective of Adam having sinned.

But sin complicates our lives as does the excess of alcohol for the alcoholic. And the same denial which accompanies alcoholism accompanies sin in us.

We may seem to get away with giving ourselves permission to tell a little white lie but it places us a bit closer each time to the habit of telling lies. Yet we often justify our telling white lies (an improper term of a man's own imagination to begin with) so that we keep repeating those lies and before we know it we have become a chronic liar.

Because sin by the lust (the concupiscence in various forms) sin produces in us is as a disease of an addictive nature we can have compassion for those caught up in sin. Because alcoholism is as a disease by its addictive nature we can have compassion for the alcoholic. Alcoholism is both sin and a disease just as is sin. So as we try to rescue one we try to rescue the other.

That disease like addictive nature of sin is what Paul spoke so much concerning. And that disease like addictive nature is what Hebrews 3:13 refers to as, "the deceitfulness of sin."

We hear the alcoholic confess, "I am an alcoholic". We here the repentant sinner confess, "I am a sinner."

There is where Christians could take a lesson from AA. The alcoholic is taught that he is not his disease. Alcoholism works in him to cause him to do to himself and others what he does not really want to do if he were free to make his own choices. But John Barley is leading him as a slave.

Sin also is its own nature and is not us. We are not our disease, either. And this idea that our literal flesh is born corrupt and useless is a horrible lack of knowledge. After we are born into this world where sin is ruling we are quickly reeled in as its slave without God's help to prevent it. It is readily available in the darkened world for us to have it to learn. But God does not force His help on us. We have to recognize that we need that help. We have to desire that help. And we have to be free of these fantasies which blind us to being able to fully receive and benefit from that help.

 

[aspen]

I agree, dementia is real. Long term alcoholics do suffer from it. What I've noticed is people who sober up also seem to recover from dementia. I think some things still lack as the brain cells grow slower, and there's still the unaddressed chemical imbalance that was more than likely present before hand. It's hard to say that alcohol is the exact cause, although easily suspect. In order to actually define alcoholic dementia, we must first know the alcoholic from the beginning to the end. The sad part is, there's rarely tests of before, during, and after sobriety to compare too.

Seretonin type chemical imbalances do tend to get better as the "victim" get's older. I think alcohol inhibits the production of new chemicals in the brain that would aid in the long term recovery.

I agree.

Sin itself is both a rebellion and a disease.

The disease part (which many call the sin nature but confuse with our natural nature as humans) is the nature of sin (a nature not owned by our body, but owned by sin thus making us sin's slave; a slave to the nature of sin). Our nature as humans is very simply that if we listen to God we have the wisdom from God to act wisely but to the extent that we ignore God we act foolishly. That is our nature irrespective of Adam having sinned.

But sin complicates our lives as does the excess of alcohol for the alcoholic. And the same denial which accompanies alcoholism accompanies sin in us.

We may seem to get away with giving ourselves permission to tell a little white lie but it places us a bit closer each time to the habit of telling lies. Yet we often justify our telling white lies (an improper term of a man's own imagination to begin with) so that we keep repeating those lies and before we know it we have become a chronic liar.

Because sin by the lust (the concupiscence in various forms) sin produces in us is as a disease of an addictive nature we can have compassion for those caught up in sin. Because alcoholism is as a disease by its addictive nature we can have compassion for the alcoholic. Alcoholism is both sin and a disease just as is sin. So as we try to rescue one we try to rescue the other.

That disease like addictive nature of sin is what Paul spoke so much concerning. And that disease like addictive nature is what Hebrews 3:13 refers to as, "the deceitfulness of sin."

We hear the alcoholic confess, "I am an alcoholic". We here the repentant sinner confess, "I am a sinner."

There is where Christians could take a lesson from AA. The alcoholic is taught that he is not his disease. Alcoholism works in him to cause him to do to himself and others what he does not really want to do if he were free to make his own choices. But John Barley is leading him as a slave.

Sin also is its own nature and is not us. We are not our disease, either. And this idea that our literal flesh is born corrupt and useless is a horrible lack of knowledge. After we are born into this world where sin is ruling we are quickly reeled in as its slave without God's help to prevent it. It is readily available in the darkened world for us to have it to learn. But God does not force His help on us. We have to recognize that we need that help. We have to desire that help. And we have to be free of these fantasies which blind us to being able to fully receive and benefit from that help.

Great post! Getting to the point where we can separate ourselves from our thoughts/emotions/will and gain perspective on ourselves is the journey from the false self (the old man) to the true self. God knows our true self, not our fake, false self. Interestingly enough, The Wizard of OZ is a great illustration of this journey - Dorothy (true self) confronts her ego (wizard of Oz), incorporates her ego defenses (scarecrow - heart; tinman - mind; lion - will) and breaks free from her primitive, dualistic mindset of right and wrong (good witch / bad witch) and returns home as an adult.