Alcohol Dependency IS NOT Alcoholism
     Today is Sunday, August 18, 2013.  I am so thankful to the Lord for all He has done for me.  I love Him so much.
     I'm very proud to have been clean and sober as long as I have been.  It's a good start for my desire to be sober for the rest of my life.  I've now been sober for over 5 years.  (And, my sobriety day count today -- in about 8 hours -- is 5 years, 1 month, and 25 days.)
     Something hit me tonight very clearly.  There was time when I COULD NOT EVEN IMAGINE going to a club or a restaurant and not have a beer (or, a margarita).  If someone asked me not to, I was bothered by that.
     That was long before my 'disease' of alcoholism hit; but I really really WANTED the drink.  In fact, in order to have a good time, I NEEDED the drink.  To NEED something is to DEPEND on something.  This didn't make me an alcoholic, but it meant I WAS DEPENDENT on alcohol.
     I also recently went to an event where a person stated that they would do X for free IF we provided beer for her.
     At a class reunion, there were some people who wanted to leave the event so they could get away AND FINALLY drink.  It had been ALMOST 48 hours since their last wine.
     Now, I'm NOT pointing the fingers at other people.  It's a personal choice, and because I have the problem I have I DO NOT say that other people can't drink.  But, I want to be clear about this so that IF SOMEONE TENDS TO 'get a little too nippy' often, you can help make them aware that it could be a problem.  (And, IF IT'S YOU, please, be honest with yourself).
     Now, I'll say again:  I AM NOT an alcoholic who thinks that NO ONE ELSE should ever drink.  It's a personal choice, and I have nothing bad to say about an occasional / low volume intake of a drink.
     So, if someone says that they HAVE TO HAVE a sedative -- that is, a glass of wine, or a beer, or a margarita -- then I'd encourage that person to be honest with themselves about their 'need' for the 'escape.' And, God is so amazing for getting me to this point.  I used to NEVER think like this because I was so ALCOHOL DEPENDENT that I WOULD NOT go somewhere where I couldn't 'have a few.'