Terry asked what a dry drunk was and before I had a chance to post on the subject, he sent me a nice link. I already had that site bookmarked, which proves that great minds think alike, or some such thing. Here is what this Christian Recovery Site has to say about being a dry drunk:
Definition: A colloquial term generally used to describe someone who has stopped drinking, but who still demonstrates the same alcoholic behaviors and attitudes.
Also Known As: Dry, Not Sober
Examples: His behavior hasn't changed at all, he acts like a dry drunk.What is the dry drunk syndrome? "Dry drunk" traits consist of:
- Exaggerated self-importance and pomposity
- Grandiose behavior
- A rigid, judgmental outlook
- Impatience
- Childish behavior
- Irresponsible behavior
- Irrational rationalization
- Projection
- Overreaction
I also know, as Simple Sinner (of the beautiful dogs) has pointed out, that it is very popular to refer to our President as a dry drunk. (Ooooops - that was Terry who mentioned that.) I can't say this any stronger than this; It is not our place to decide who may or may not be an alcoholic, a "dry drunk", or even a bad Catholic. We can have very strong suspicions, but we best keep those to ourselves. Besides, it takes one to know one and a so-called "normie" is not the best judge of who is or isn't anything when it comes to addictions.
As an alcoholic, I see my own behavior when I look at that list - both when I was drinking and after I quit. You see, I stopped drinking so I could get "sober" by working on those defects of character listed above.
Take a moment and mentally run through a good examination of conscience. You will find the same things, most, if not all, rooted in the sin of pride. Do I have a "special" set of defects because I am a drunk? Absolutely not. But I had to stop drinking to address my sinful behavior. While drunk, you tend to think you're rather special. That's part of the problem.
The person who gets labeled a dry drunk is one who is not making any attempt to "work the Steps" of Alcoholics Anonymous. It is a lapsed Catholic, or even a Protestant, who does not return to his church and allow the Word of God to transform him. A.A. was founded on spiritual principles, and the Twelve Steps are a great help in leading us back to our religious roots. The founders of A.A. knew this and stressed the importance of God in our lives.
Here are some destructive patterns and actions that can result from dry drunk thinking:
1. We become restless and irritable and discontent.
2. We become bored, dissatisfied, and easily distracted from productive tasks.
3. Our emotions and feelings get listless and dull, nothing excites us anymore.
4. We start to engage in the euphoric recall that is yearning for the good old days of active using and for getting the pain and shame of use.
5. We start to engage in magical thinking and we get unrealistic and fanciful expectations and dreams.
6. The last thing we want is to be engaged in introspection to improve ourselves.
7. We start to become unfulfilled and have the feeling that nothing will ever satisfy our yearning or fill the hole in the soul.
Looking back at the list of attitudes and thought distortions listed above, it is easy to see how the dry drunk syndrome is simply nothing more then reverting back to the way it was when we were active in our use. If you are starting to notice some of the attitudes discussed here creeping back into your life, it is time to start paying attention to the possibility of relapse, and start turning your life in sobriety and recovery around. The dry drunk syndrome is a bright red flashing warning sign for relapse. Excerpt from Addiction Recovery Basics
Those destructive patterns are likely to emerge in anyone who has neglected their spiritual life. We'll talk more about that as we move on to Steps 12 and 13
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