Twenty years ago I'd have agreed with you 100%, but knowing so many very intelligent people (in my own family included) who have got derailed and who hurt, sometimes I wonder if there aren't forces at work that I don't understand and neither do the victims. With some it's a form of mental illness, if the deficiency was due to heart disease or cancer, we wouldn't be so fast to condemn them. AS a person with medical connections S.J.- what say you?
Having grown up around alcohol ( my father being an alcoholic ) and depression ( my mother had severe depression problems ) all my life, I can give somewhat of a educated guess..
At 27 I was diagnosed as depressive and did something about it as I cannot take anti-depressive medication. This means that up to today, motivating myself the old fashion way by doing positive things when times are tough, is the only way for me to get out of it.
At 30 I stopped drinking completely knowing I was going to start a family.. At 18 ( Quebec ) my first introduction to alcohol was drinking a 40 oncer of Vodka. Now most of my life I never drank a lots ( 2 to 3 drinks a night was the norm ) but could tie one on if I wanted to ( drunk nights we easy 30 drinks ) without passing out or throwing up..
The last 18 years I have had half a glass of wine at Christmas time and that's all..
The choices we make in our lives are ours, not others and illness can be overcome.
I don't care if people drink, do minor drugs or what ever, so I don't preach, as long as it doesn't hurt me or my family.
But don't use it as an excuse for anything.