This isn’t saying you’re wrong btw but just feel there’s SO much misinformation out there about what addiction is and what it looks like, and who it happens to, and Jackie plays up to these tropes (as she has no lived experience) and perpetuates them and is so dangerous because she’s keeping people out of accessing help. This is a problem with medical professionals and the NHS and is why I’d never make it known to them as they lack the nuance to make the appropriate care decisions imo/e.
The only pre requisite for AA is a desire to stop drinking, any xA is a desire to stop x-ing. There’s a bit of nuance to it in that in smaller towns or more remote areas you may not have your xA so you’ll attend AA, if it’s an open group, also a lot of people whose substance abuse problems were problematic but they just prefer AA or they got clean at a time where there weren’t as many NA/CA meetings. There’s nuance to it. Also not everyone drinks the same - some are binges some steady some tons of volume some medium. It’s why I cringe when I hear alcoholics don’t like xyz drink
I don’t want to go me-raily but inevitably have to share some experience for context? I was a thriving
23 year old with a gr8 job that started my career, a ton of friends, went out every night, loved drugs with my pals and generally taking the piss a little with work and all family commitments. Very normal for that age. I had friends that drank more, drugged more, participated in more dangerous behaviours (a fact that I thought of every night before bed to keep that sweet denial alive). But those friends didn’t have the serious MH problems I had & were only worsening. Masses of shame,
tit self esteem, weird growing paranoia that all originated over britta filters being spiked with sedatives, a genuine hatred of men, like the list was truly endless. No one would ever have said I needed help and lots of ppl thought going teetotal was mad and weird or even attention seeking despite the fact I keep it majorly on the DL. But this is the thing there’s a spectrum before you become a Gazza or a Westbrook right? If we nip it in the bud early enough surely we only will save ourselves years and years of heartbreak? At 23 you can’t lose a house or have the missus leave with the kids and the big carTM but you CAN be too scared to open your windows and leave your bedroom and text anyone back so spend all weekend inhaling the bleach fumes you use to kill the black mold you’ve 100% caused yourself. Like these horror stories don’t develop overnight but you can see your life going down that path and choose to turn it around without needing to feel invalidated that you weren’t / aren’t alchy or druggy enough, cos you still could still mask to participate in mainstream society?
On topic - and this is where Jack spreads such a dangerous message with her ridiculous units story. Her story is SO atypical for women, particularly young women, I’ve honestly never heard one and I’ve heard some truly terrible
tit. I’ve only heard a handful of blokes share like she did in her paid for guardian piece, tbh. It’s just not reflective of life for a lot of women, we’ve been socialised in such a way that we don’t tend to behave in the way she describes (abusing paid staff, hissing at romantic partners, etc).
Sorry for the essays, love u guys x