Sorry, but you don’t “turn to alcohol” because of horrors. If Jews had done this in Hitler’s death camps, they’d all be addicts.
"Considering the horrors McKinney endured in prison…
it's not surprising that he turned to alcohol.â€
So said Nancy Clark, an Orange County woman who runs treatment programs for recovering addicts. She had been touched by the story of DeWayne McKinney's wrongful conviction, reported under "sometimes it takes an addict"in the Top Story section, and let him live in an apartment rent-free after his release from prison.
No, Ms. Clark"and you should know better. While stress, including the stress of horrors, can trigger relapses, they do not cause alcoholic biochemistry. Excusing an addict for drinking due to the stresses of life invites a relapse. If we are to reduce its likelihood, the disease must be described as one that causes a loss of control ...
