Alcoholic Possession

I know someone who has an alcohol problem, and although I have looked at the literature about it and have developed some understanding and compassion over it I find that this understanding is not enough to provide me with any predictive power. Knowing about the neurological, socio-psychological, or genetic corrolates for the condition have provided almost no overall information to me for how this person might behave. What does work is imagining that this person is 'possessed' by some kind of evil spirit that has very specific aims and objectives, specifically it wants this person alone, unhappy, and ultimately dead. Even though this is obviously a bullshit 'explanation' for the condition it does give me a pretty accurate sense of how they are likely to act in a given situation.

[richardclegg]

Perfectly put Sir. My daughter in law is just that. Possessed by a malignant "energy " when drunk. She's a single mother of two and is functional, warm and often very kind. The dark side only comes out with alcohol. It's like the polar opposite suddenly manifests. Hence my search on YouTube for a none religious interpretation of Possession. You confirm my perspective on this. Thank you very much. More power to you 💪

[tjfSIM]

Glad you made this video and shared it. For some reason it took a long time for this concept to occur to me, but ever since it did, things have started to make more sense. I started drinking heavily again after I got into a ‘situationship’ with a narcissist. And ironically I’ve found that narcissists and alcohol destroy your life in very similar ways. They both want the same things, and if one were religious or spiritually minded, one might imagine they were two forms of possession used by the same demon.

[rubygreeneblue]

I totally agree with you. Moreover seeing it like that makes it easier to have compassion for the alcoholic as he is a victim in that situation which is much easier to feel compassion for compared to seeing the alcoholic person as a monster which is very hard not too feel anger and hatred for....

[Soniphex]

I'm done with alcohol, I'm done with demons. They will have to find someone weaker.

[silversoul]

I think whoever first referred to liquor as "spirits" was onto something.

[Rcomian]

That's an interesting idea. It actually reminds me of the shadow idea that Wilber uses.
The idea that parts of our psyche can get disowned and run a life of their own. Sounds kind of similar, but I've only just considered it in terms of addiction.
So the idea is that an addict has an aspect of them which they no-longer identify with, but which nevertheless has a huge impact on their lives. If the model has predictive power, I wonder if it has treatment power.
But then it is wilberish.

[HDurbin]

I sometimes, and I mean very rarely experience what to me after sobering up I can only describe as a possession. But it has only happened a small percentage of when I get drunk or use alcohol. When I come to the realization of who I was or what I did after sobering. I truly cannot fathom in any realm of possibility that I actually made such things occur. I sometimes feel as if I am possessed because I have problems making and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Whether it be friends, careers or even the state of my mental health. No matter how hard I try to push through life and be a a better me I just have this "thing" that I can not identify as taking ahold of me and not wanting me to succeed. I'm not sure if it's my conscience or some other entity that binds me to an inevitable destruction and failure. I come from an entire biological family of nothing but "fuck ups", so maybe it is literally coded in my DNA. Or even more possible it is my fear of becoming them entirely.

[DonQuixotedeKaw]

Good observations. The parasitical sub mind, or parallel paradigm, takes many forms. The end results are the same; a life consumed by something not quite voluntary.

[UBeesh]

I started drinkin because i got tortured then shot in a field. It dulls my night terrors and helps me sleep. I wake up feeling like shit but when you would kill for a full nights sleep, and beers allow u to sleep, u do it. Wish i could stop but when i do, i see shit and hear voices. Maybe one day i will man up.