The Curse Of Alcohol

The title initially maybe a little misleading, firstly I would like to clarify that I am not an alcoholic or anything, far from it, in fact, I’m the opposite, I’m a tee-total! I have drunk in the past however. When I was younger my parents owned an off licence and so on the odd occasion they would allow me the odd tipple. That was when I was about 13 or so.

After we got rid of the off licence I made a conscious decision not to drink alcohol. Not an easy task when you’re a teenager surrounded by curious teenagers who want to do nothing but drink! But I managed throughout my late teens and early twenties to avoid alcohol altogether. It was not until last year that I decided to drink just for a weekend while I went away on a stag weekend with some friends in Amsterdam? Why?

Well firstly it was a personal experiment. I wanted to see if through meditation I could overcome the effects of alcohol (which it did to a certain degree) and second of all I wanted to know what it felt like to be drunk so that I could give an objective opinion to people about alcohol. So I did it, I went away for the weekend with the lads and had loads and loads to drink.

I drank plenty and found the alcohol generally had severely adverse effects on my emotions. Some people become extra loving and kind and friendly, but for me, I found myself to be angry and irritable. It taught me a lot about myself and alcohol in general, but, it was just a personal experiment which I decided to try on myself so that I could know of the effects first hand.

The are a few things in particular about Alcohol that worry me greatly;

1. How “sexy” it is made to look in adverts and they way it is marketed.

2. How desperate children under 18 are to turn 18 so that they can drink. (18 is the legal drinking age within the UK.)

3. Alcohol abuse and the binge drinking culture. (Outlets now have the option to obtain 24 hour alcohol serving licences)

4. The lack of information given to people on the ill effects of alcohol. (In my personal opinion, alcohol should have warnings on them in the same way that cigarettes do.)

5. The amount of Tax the government receives from alcohol means that they would never run a major campaign against alcohol abuse

Alcohol is a silent killer and a destroyer. Not only does it damage peoples health but it also damages relationships and kills people’s integrity. The majority of people are responsible have alcohol responsibly and in moderation but some have no idea of self control and drink until they throw up.

Another great concern of mine is the reason behind the drinking. I’ve asked many people; “why do you drink” and all too often the answer is so that they can loosen up, be more fun, loose their inhibitions. Does it really take a few alcoholic beverage to do that? Maybe it’s about time to take a close look at why it takes a drink to do that, if you can’t do it without, be more proactive, join a drama club, get that side of you out into the open so that a drink isn’t the cause of your personality, you are!

There are also many, many points and issues to raise with regards to this but this blog would become too long so I will follow this up at a later stage. In the mean time, if you, or anyone you know of that drinks heavily, here is a question for you;

Is drinking benefiting you in any way, shape or form?