As has been the habit of the human race, woman has been blamed for all the sins and grief of man (humanity) since ancient times. We can still see traces of this in the Middle East today, where men from fundamental religious cultures make women cover every possible inch of themselves, so man won't be tempted to sin. They still don't require men to take any responsibility for the straying of their "junk".
But, the crimes of women weren't confined just to the bedroom. We reigned supreme over all kinds of horrors. Probably the second most serious set of infractions we caused were in the mental health field. Women's poor childrearing skills were purported to cause not only childhood schizophrenia, but also autism. A cold mother was the culprit. Wives caused their husbands to be alcoholic. We've come a long way in knowledge in recent years. Unfortunately the old wives tales seem to still be taught in some social work programs, but most psychology departments are catching up with the times.
Well, if wives and mothers don't cause all these mental ailments and addictive behaviors, what does? Doctors now know that schizophrenia happens in cases of a chemical imbalance. They long ago diagnosed pink spots in the urine of schizophrenics. They just got caught up in a chicken and egg discussion about which came first. More recently, the medical profession seems less accepting that the schizophrenia causes the physical symptoms.
They don't know yet what causes autism. There have been fears that immunizations were the culprit, but those claims seem to have been refuted.
For decades, alcoholics, themselves, have said there was a genetic predisposition toward alcoholism. People like members of the Women's Christian Temperance groups, as well as hell-fire and brimstone clergy, preferred to label it sin. Some of them even seemed to relish the superiority it gave them to look down on the "drunks" they were trying to dry out. A relative of mine actually called her own grandfather a sot one time when describing him to me.
The Bible does warn people to avoid consuming the dregs of the wine. This would be the sediment or strongest portion of the alcohol. Logically that would make one drunk more quickly than the weaker portion meant for consumption. It also cautions not to engage in drunkenness, a state that would vary from individual to individual, based on size and weight and how much you've eaten. But never does it say -- that I can find -- to never touch the first drop. Jesus, himself, made wine from water to save a friend's wedding. So that is further confirmation that partaking of drink is not considered sin.
There have been theories that it is caused and maintained by the environment and the behaviors of others. There is substantial evidence that the reactions of people in the environment can maintain and exacerbate the illness, but the jury is still out on cause.
Members of Alcoholic's Anonymous have long referred to a compulsion to drink. I talked with a local pharmacist, a researcher, one time in an effort to talk him into a research study using various drugs known to control obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) to treat the alcoholic. He said some initial studies had been done, but they seemed to show that once the craving for the drink had begun, it was too late. The need had become physiological by then. He said when he finished his present study, he would give it some more thought.
An early theory concerned endorphins, substances in the brain that regulate feelings of wellbeing. Some people were said to be born with a shortage of them. There was also supposedly stress related drinking. Some thought that the act of drinking caused normal brain chemistry to erode.
A pattern does seem to develop that is as follows. At first, people, like teenagers, take a drink to fit with a crowd. This evolves to social drinking as adults. For some, alcohol is used to relieve stress. After a long period of using drink as an emotional crutch, an alcoholic is said to "cross a line". When this line is crossed, the individual becomes physically as well as emotionally addicted. After this stage is reached, it becomes extremely difficult to stop. It is also important to use a detox unit to attempt to begin recovery. Alcohol is the only drug that can kill you when you stop using it. One can go into convulsions and die. That is why it is important to have trained individuals helping you to stop drinking.
About three to four years ago, there was an announcement that scientists had isolated a gene that seemed to explain what caused addictive behavior. This gene was present in those who were addicted to alcohol or drugs, but not present in the genes of people described as moderate or just heavy drinkers. The gene is said to interfere with the body's ability to process dopamine, which tells the brain when it has had enough -- is satisfied. Sound like the endorphin theory?
For those of us who have watched loved ones suffer from and fight this dreadful illness, it seemed a ray of hope. It was a hope that in a hop, skip and a jump, there would follow a medication to arrest, if not cure, it. It's taking a little too long for the jump, but we'll hold faith for the future.
In the meantime, people might want to resist taking that first drink. Or, if you have already taken that step, perhaps you can cease and desist before it is too late.
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