RE: Just wondering-alcoholism(for Toni)

[Guest guest]

Toni, just for information- yes.

While there's definitely not one cause alone, it's well known that many of us do

self-medicate because of emotional sensitivity, physical and psychological

pain, stress(esp with immature coping skills) trouble dealing with anger and

other strong feelings, and often, at core, an incredible amount of fear.

Unfortunately, whether we're born with the predisposition to alcoholism (which I

believe was true in my case) or drank ourselves into alcoholism, once we're that

creature, an alcoholic, we can if we're able to stay sober, work on our problems

and heal. But, we can't entertain the notion that we can drink again, no

matter what healing we've done..

But, in short, ;-) yes. You're quite right.

Drinking and/or drug use can be a form of an attempt to self-medicate.

I surely did myself.

And while I wasn't a real happy young girl anyway, I'm even aware of what

triggered my drinking alcoholically.

And it was being young, too young to cope emotionally with having sexual

relations,especially back in the mid to late 60s,(and dealing with my Catholic

father).

But also, all this within a situation in which I was intermittently abused both

emotionally and physically.

Which brings us back again to--

*physical and emotional trauma* as a possible or probable cause of Fibromyalgia

Syndrome.

As was suggested already by Lynn-if we do know *how* we became sick, what can we

do now with that information anyway? :-)

~

Re: Just wondering--alcoholism..

Interesting theory.

I have had this chronic condition all my life, from childhood. I drank lightly,

socially beginning after age 21. I gave up drinking because, the older I got,

the more wonky, less stable, just a little alcohol made me feel.

Alcohol produces some of the same symptoms caused by our conditions:

-loss of and trouble holding onto fluids,

-low blood pressure,

-lowered neuro- and cognitive-functioning.