Glad to see that your omnipotence now not only covers how every missionary in the world would or would not act, but also the extent of posters knowledge of alcoholism!
Yes, my omni becomes more potent by the hour. Knowledge of alcoholism. I have 23 years of personal experiene as well as intellectual study of it, so, moving right along...
I didn't mention alcoholism once in my post. My point wasn't tied to your alcoholism, it was tied to member's varying reactions to the same teachings. Your reaction was very different than mine. I was taught that coffee, alcohol and tobacco were things we didn't "try", even with severe emotional pressure.
Yes, that's the case, and regarding every other prohibition other than alcohol, I have maintained that principle.
In my case, I didn't take my first drink of alcohol or coffee, until I had formally left the church, when I was 40. I know that there are many people who nonetheless experiment with these things as apart of growing up, and unfortunately some of them succomb to alcoholism. But I think it is still safe to say that neither they nor you would have become alcoholics if you had never taken your first drink (which the church teaches us not to do) Yes I know alcoholism is a disease, and you were born that way, but the effects of your disease only come after you've taken your first drink right?
First of all, I did take my first drink. That is the reality. Only the solution is important at this point. Secondly, alcoholism is not a disease; it is a mindset and a way of perceiving the world, as are all other forms of addiction. I do not accept the disease model. I tried, mightily through many years in and out of AA, but in the end, the concept simply does not work and does not harmonize with reality. Addiction is a syndrome; a set of symptoms in the form of behaviors, thoughts, ideations, and attitudes, in other words, complex human behavior. The only thing I was born with was a susceptibility to addiction, not the addiction itself, and I am responsible, with the assistance of Jesus Christ, of removing it from my life. The first drink thing is moot, and is a crying over spilled milk of no therapeutic value.
My point was, which you sidestepped with your appeal to your alcoholism, was that member's reactions to the same teachings will never be the same.
But, true as this may be, this has no relation to my case. My reaction to the WoW was complete acceptance, from childhood into adulthood. My first drink was a lark, under horrendous emotional pressure, which I need not go into, and was intended to be a one time thing. But the positive reinforcement was too intense, especially given my circumstances. This is one way addiction is generated.