--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We believe, and so suggested a few years…" description: "\"We believe, and so suggested a few years ago, that the action of alcohol on these chronic alcoholics is a manifestation of an allergy; that the phenome..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46f/william-duncan-silkworth-62152_action_we-believe-and-so-suggested-a-few-years_2743684.png" --- # We believe, and so suggested a few years ago, that the… ![“We believe, and so suggested a few years ago, that the action of alcohol on these chronic alcoholics is a manifestation of an allergy; that the phenomenon of craving is limited to this class and never occurs in the average temperate drinker. These allergic types can never safely use alcohol in any…” quote by William Duncan Silkworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46f/william-duncan-silkworth-62152_action_we-believe-and-so-suggested-a-few-years_2743684.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46f/william-duncan-silkworth-62152_action_we-believe-and-so-suggested-a-few-years_2743684.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46f/william-duncan-silkworth-62152_action_we-believe-and-so-suggested-a-few-years_2743684.png) > “We believe, and so suggested a few years ago, that the action of alcohol on these chronic alcoholics is a manifestation of an allergy; that the phenomenon of craving is limited to this class and never occurs in the average temperate drinker. These allergic types can never safely use alcohol in any form at all; and once having formed the habit and found they cannot break it, once having lost their self confidence, their reliance upon things human, their problems pile up on them and become astonishingly difficult to solve.” [William Duncan Silkworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-duncan-silkworth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Alcohol can act like an allergy for chronic alcoholics, causing cravings that most drinkers don’t experience, leading to dependence and compounded life problems. **In simple terms:** Alcohol may trigger allergic‑type cravings in some addicts, worsening their situation. Key Takeaway Recognize physiological triggers and seek appropriate treatment. Themes addiction health psychology Mood concerned reflective Type clinical informative When to use this quote - clinical assessment - rehabilitation programs - support groups - patient education Key Concepts allergy response craving dependency self‑efficacy Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing an allergic component change treatment? - What non‑physiological factors sustain addiction? A Different Perspective Not all drinkers have allergic reactions; social factors also influence addiction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Alcohol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol/) [Alcoholics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcoholics/) [Allergies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allergies/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Drinkers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drinkers/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Manifestation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manifestation/) [Phenomenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phenomenon/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Recovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recovery/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-confidence/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [I've got an allergy to looking too neat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-chung/i-ve-got-an-allergy-to-looking-too-neat/) [Alexa Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-chung/) > [A new study found that a mother's diet affects her baby's allergies. Which can only mean one thing: My mom ate cats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/a-new-study-found-that-a-mother-s-diet-affects-her-baby-s-allergies/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/we-have-currently-a-built-in-allergy-to-unpleasant-or-disturbing/) [Edward R. 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Yet we are making it difficult for our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/we-must-pay-greater-attention-to-keeping-our-bodies-and-minds-healthy/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [“Winter was nothing but a season of snow; spring, allergies; and summer...It was the worst. That was swimsuit season.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-lo/winter-was-nothing-but-a-season-of-snow-spring-allergies-and-summer/) [Teresa Lo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-lo/) > [ \[I hate\] the ways that people want their special needs to be met, whether it's their food allergies or their special lotions or shoes.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-hate-the-ways-that-people-want-their-special-needs-to-be-met/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [I had terrible ear problems and asthma and allergies. I spent quite a bit of time in hospital up to the age of eight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/i-had-terrible-ear-problems-and-asthma-and-allergies-i-spent-quite-a/) [Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/) > [When the boys at school found out I had a potentially fatal peanut allergy, they used to hold me up against a wall and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-jones/when-the-boys-at-school-found-out-i-had-a-potentially-fatal-peanut/) [Milton Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-jones/) > [The next day, Greg is so large that he cannot even ride the car to school because he can't fit in the car. His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-next-day-greg-is-so-large-that-he-cannot-even-ride-the-car-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have allergies, and I've had my share of nosebleeds, but that's usually related to pollen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-curry/i-have-allergies-and-i-ve-had-my-share-of-nosebleeds-but-that-s/) [Stephen Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-curry/) ## More by William Duncan Silkworth > [Men have cried out to me in sincere and despairing appeal: 'Doctor, I cannot go on like this! I have everything to live for!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-duncan-silkworth/men-have-cried-out-to-me-in-sincere-and-despairing-appeal-doctor-i/) [William Duncan Silkworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-duncan-silkworth/) > [I personally know of scores of cases (of alcohoics) who were of the type with whom other methods had failed completely…because of the extraordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-duncan-silkworth/i-personally-know-of-scores-of-cases-of-alcohoics-who-were-of-the/) [William Duncan Silkworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-duncan-silkworth/) > [Men and women drink essentially because they like the effect produced by alcohol. 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Smile :) Now hold onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/action-is-a-powerful-thing-when-you-smile-through-your-sadness-it-can/) [Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/) > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. 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