What is an Alcoholic?

This was the question my six year-old grandson asked his Nana on a visit after Christmas. We have a wonderful relationship with our grandchildren, having spent a couple of days a week caring for them in their first few years when their mum went back to work. It is such a delight when he climbs up on his Nana's knee for a cuddle and confidential conversation ("Now promise you won't tell Mum or Dad").

But this surprising question came out of the blue. We still don't know where he heard the word 'alcoholic', perhaps from someone at school. It seems the previous Christmas party triggered his thinking. He proceeded:-

"Now you only drink coffee, don't you Nana?

Uncle 'X' drank too much at Christmas and he got a bit 'funny'!

But auntie 'Y' only drank one glass of white wine!"

OMG, "Out of the mouths of babes". Such observation and memory.

PTSD and the Alcohol Crutch

In studying family history, one eventually may come across some sad situations. The two cases I will relate were war veterans, one from each of WWI and WWII. Great Uncle B had one leg blown off in the last days of WWI. I have vague memories of him in the early 50's, hobbling round on a crutch with one trouser leg pinned up. Even 30 years after the event, he was a TPI pensioner and turned to alcohol to cope with the constant pain, loneliness and ostracism of society.

The second case was a WWII soldier serving in the equatorial tropics of New Guinea. He succumbed to a lot of the prevalent diseases, dysentery, dengue fever and a couple of bouts of malaria. After the war, he was in and out of hospital and a PTSD mess, his 1st wife then left him. With recovery, his old charming self returned being an apparent 'social' drinker. I won't go into long family history, but just say that "The sins of the father will be visited on his children to the 3rd and 4th generation" (Ex.20:5, Num.14:18, Deu.5:9).

The Dry Drunk

My final case relates to a family member that married (3rd time) a charming artistic type, a proclaimed recovered alcoholic. But it wasn't long before his true colours came through. He is what is sometimes called a "dry drunk". Despite having stopped drinking, many of the personality traits associated with an alcoholic were still there. Charming to outsiders, but mean, suspicious and controlling toward his wife, full of grand ideas, then blames others for his failures ("Look what you made me do!").

Addictive Personality

Whilst not about alcoholism, I want to wrap up with an unusual medical consultation. Lady Thomas suffers from Restless Legs Syndrome. On consulting with a neurologist about this condition, the doctor suggested a medication, but first asked if she was a gambler! "What's that got to do with this?" we asked.  He explained that this particular medication can aggravate the addictive tendency of people with a genetic disposition. Whilst we can't say that people are born alcoholics or gamblers, we can definitely be born with a genetic predisposition toward any sort of addictive behaviour - its all about the role of dopamine, the neurotransmitter chemical involved in pleasure reward.