387
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] Wirrvogel@feddit.de 162 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Not so funny when it actually happens to you:

Because of really bad experiences with alcoholics as a child, I am afraid of people who drink. My psychologist and my doctor wrote that down.

When I became seriously ill and could no longer work in my old job, I had to retrain. To do this, you have to go to the German employment office and get an assessment of your strengths and weaknesses, including what your doctor and therapist have to say.

They read the paper from my doctor and my psychologist, but just skimmed over the words and decided that because the word "alcoholic" was there, I must be the alcoholic. They told me that I could get paid retraining and benefits, but only if I attended a therapy group for alcoholics once a week - me, who is afraid of alcoholics because of the abuse I suffered as a child. .... I immediately started crying and swore that I had no problem with alcohol, only with alcoholics!

It took 6 months to get someone at the job centre to actually read the papers word for word to find out that me saying "I'm not an alcoholic" was not me being an alcoholic in denial. I got a half-assed apology and my retraining 6 months after I could have started it because of this. Not to mention that every time I refused to go to AA meetings they threatened to take away my benefits and I was in such a bad mental state that I probably would have killed myself without the help of my family. Oh, and my family who tried to intervene were labelled as co-alcoholics, holding me back.

[-] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 50 points 11 months ago

That is terrible and I am so sorry.

[-] Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 38 points 11 months ago

They do AA in Germany? I thought that pseudo science was just an American thing.

load more comments (22 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[-] devdad@programming.dev 107 points 11 months ago
[-] TheBlackLounge@lemmy.world 55 points 11 months ago

Congrats, how many years are you sober?

[-] TheBat@lemmy.world 27 points 11 months ago
[-] Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 16 points 11 months ago

Born again huh.

[-] cryptiod137@lemmy.world 28 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Oh, so you don't like it when other drink then?

Edit: that's literally the response my buddy gets every single time it comes up, every single time without fail, even from other people who don't drink.

[-] rikudou 31 points 11 months ago

What the fuck?

[-] devdad@programming.dev 30 points 11 months ago

Haha yeah it’s weird how NOT drinking is weird. I couldn’t care less what other people do, nor what they think of me; drinking is just no longer appealing to me

No idea why you got downvoted so bad, I guess I did have the benefit of your edit when I read your reply.

load more comments (4 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[-] SuckMyWang@lemmy.world 11 points 11 months ago

Sure buddy what ever you say

[-] jacktherippah@lemmy.world 11 points 11 months ago

Whatever helps you sleep at night.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[-] AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world 80 points 11 months ago

“I don’t have time for alcoholism—I’m too busy shooting heroin.”

[-] SuckMyWang@lemmy.world 12 points 11 months ago

At least your not a Morman

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] fubo@lemmy.world 61 points 11 months ago

"My psychiatrist prefers to say that I have a 'substance use disorder' and cautions that the old 'alcoholism' model isn't very scientific."

[-] driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br 40 points 11 months ago

"I don't limit myself to just alcohol"

[-] HerbalGamer@sh.itjust.works 13 points 11 months ago

Modern problems require modern solutions.

load more comments (2 replies)
[-] CarbonIceDragon@pawb.social 39 points 11 months ago

"I have literally not had alcoholic beverages even once in my life, how would it be possible to become an alcoholic given that?"

[-] squaresinger@feddit.de 47 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

You must be a hardcore alcoholic if you had to abstain for that long.

load more comments (3 replies)
[-] Spaghetti_Hitchens@kbin.social 12 points 11 months ago

Well clearly given your decision, your mother drank with you in the womb and you had fetal alcohol syndrome. Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.

Checkmate, atheists.

[-] frezik@midwest.social 34 points 11 months ago

I drink a lot less now that I have easy access to THC.

This goes for a lot of other bad things, too. "Just to get it out of the way, I am not a child molester".

load more comments (3 replies)
[-] DaGeek247@kbin.social 32 points 11 months ago

Only acoholics actually need to try to convince others that they aren't alcoholics. Nobody goes up to a person on the street to start aggressively asking if they have a drinking problem.

Any serious questions about how alcohol is affecting your life will quickly demonstrate whether it is is or isn't a problem, without you ever saying that you don't have a drinking problem.

[-] Entropywins@kbin.social 30 points 11 months ago

Sounds like you have a drinking problem...

[-] HeChomk@lemmy.world 27 points 11 months ago

I don't have a drinking problem. I drink, I get drunk, I fall down, no problem!

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (3 replies)
[-] habanhero@lemmy.ca 22 points 11 months ago

It's because denial is part of being an alcoholic. The same goes with being called a liar.

[-] Alto@kbin.social 25 points 11 months ago
[-] TheGreenGolem@lemm.ee 10 points 11 months ago

Except when it's not. I so much hate this rhetoric. You know what? You can freely think that I am one, and I genuinely think I'm not. If you think that I am one, that's your problem, not mine. That's why OP's question is so hard to answer. Because everybody is just parroting this rhetoric.

And "you are clearly an alcoholic" comments in 3, 2, 1...

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (3 replies)
[-] GoroAkechi@lemm.ee 18 points 11 months ago

It’s pretty easy, actually. I drink around twice a month. No one could credibly accuse me of alcoholism.

[-] andmonad@lemmy.world 19 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Exactly what an alcoholic would say

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[-] WorkIsSlow@lemmy.world 13 points 11 months ago

I literally just threw up. I feel better now though.

load more comments (3 replies)
[-] LoraxEleven@lemmy.world 13 points 11 months ago

That's exactly what a fuckin boozer would say, also.

Although... I've been drinking since about October o'clock.. so, what the fuck would I know about it, anyways.

(I say: they can stop anytime you want me to.)

Cheers!

[-] MrShankles@reddthat.com 11 points 11 months ago

I'll drink to that?

[-] squaresinger@feddit.de 13 points 11 months ago

I dodged it as a youth, no point starting it now.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] irmoz@reddthat.com 11 points 11 months ago

Drinking just isn't my sort of thing

load more comments (2 replies)
[-] TheDoozer@lemmy.world 11 points 11 months ago

"I have about three drinks a week and get drunk maybe once or twice a year. I'd say I'm the picture of moderation, but I'm not really concerned with how you feel about my drinking habits."

load more comments
view more: next ›
this post was submitted on 16 Dec 2023
387 points (94.5% liked)

Showerthoughts

29522 readers
1321 users here now

A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.

Rules

  1. All posts must be showerthoughts
  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
  3. Avoid politics
    1. NEW RULE as of 5 Nov 2024, trying it out
    2. Political posts often end up being circle jerks (not offering unique perspective) or enflaming (too much work for mods).
    3. Try c/politicaldiscussion, volunteer as a mod here, or start your own community.
  4. Posts must be original/unique
  5. Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct-----

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS