The Proximating Cause

As an alcoholic I   continue to suffer from my character defects and shortcomings.  And fortunately without the drink I can see them more clearly and at least have a beginner’s chance of abating them.  In my active days drinking only exacerbated them but did not cause them. I have often heard that alcoholic drinking is responsible for some of the evil we do. I disagree. The decisions we make that we end up regretting are not due to alcohol per se I believe that those are learned behaviors we must un-learn through diligence, persistence and consistency.  We can use AA or the help of a therapist to assist us in these aberrant behavior patterns. Simply blaming alcohol as the reason is the easier softer way. Alcohol is the proximating cause not the cause.