You need to understand something, you are not an alcoholic/addict, don't know what it's like to be one no matter how much you read or what you experience from the other side of the fence, what you think works or does not work or whether someone is weak or not in your opinion. You don't know, won't know unless you are one, and that is even if your own blood and kin explains it too.
A person who drinks constantly is trying to feel "better". Correct? The question remains - what was that made said person feel constantly "bad" to begin with? I've literally have not seen a single alcoholic who has had all his ducks in a row. I know many people who constantly get shitfaced, but if there's a job on monday, they won't touch a glass on sunday, no matter how much they drank the last night and so on. And pretty much every single one of alcoholics that I personally know (I'm actually trying to remember all ppl with this problem that I know), every single of them has had some kind of discomfort in one or many areas of their life, that they weren't able to manage no matter what. Be it money, love or other stuff, it was always clear there are deep issues for these people. When they become "addicted" (because they havent managed to get enough of a natural rush from being succesfull/balanced/achieving individual) they downregulate the receptors even more, the motivation to change something is affected even more, and so the negative feedback cycle begins.
It is possible to "cure" alcoholism and to be able to drink casually for an alcoholic, but he'd need to LEARN how to get pleasure from doing well in every day bussiness, relathionships, goals, etc... This is the part where it gets very complicated - it's nearly impossible for most people. So I agree - staying sober is the way (but not the only one. Read an article I posted a few posts back). It is a "shortcut" to achieve that sense of "wellness" without putting in effort (aka - trying to survive in this shithole earth), a way to calm down the anxiety and sadness when nothing good is happening, or nothing good is happening in a certain area which is very important for a given individual.
This is a reason, BTW, why in rehab centers, heavy drug users, heroin addicts and so on, are being taught how "to live", how to work, how to form connections with other people. It is very bad when society think that alcohol is a source of the issue, in this case it doesn't try to eradicate the roots of an issue, and that is - social/psychological issue, not merely a physical one. Chronically depressed ppl are searching for a relief, that IS normal, but they are searching in a wrong way. And humans or animals become depressed when they feel weak..
I'm not to argue with you, I'm just trying to add some common sense in this discussion.
