I know that the general tone of this blog is pretty lighthearted and about football and crazy moments in Redcoats, but tonight I just feel the need to get how I feel out there. So, I apologize in advance if you came here expecting a goofy story about a football game.
I was told tonight that I seemed bitter when I kept making sure that my Redcoat brethren were not drinking (particularly those who are <21). I don't bitter is the correct term. "Bothered" more appropriately describes how I felt/feel about the events occurring just a dozen or so yards from my relatively peaceful hotel room. It hurts me to see my friends getting drunk out of their minds. I've seen what alcohol can and will do to a person's life and I don't want that to happen to anyone else, especially these around me that I care about.
I wish I could understand. To them, drinking is just a part of their life, but I see it as a first step toward ending their life. I'm not even going to go into my religious arguments against drinking, but I am going to share some secular reasons why drinking (whether you are 21 or not) is dumb. First (and probably the most obvious) is that with every sip of alcohol you take, part of your body dies. Your liver and brain are literally pickled by that cold beer (or those 16 beers) that you just enjoyed. Ladies and Gentlemen, pickles do not perform the same function as a brain or a liver. Secondly, (again, possibly quite obvious) is that it impairs your judgment. Ladies, guys can be very convincing after you have consumed a few Solo cups of hunch punch! Guys, stupid ideas seem like good ones after a few shots of Vodka! What this point boils down to is that alcohol transforms good people into blubbering idiots. Finally, as it has been said by many people both in Redcoats and elsewhere, you don't have to be drunk to have fun. I had more fun tonight singing songs with like-minded friends at the Fort at St. Augustine than I have in quite a while, and there certainly wasn't any alcohol involved in that event! It doesn't have to be a religious event for it to be a fun one even while sober! Just spending time with friends, making memories that you will remember for the rest of your life is very fun. Being drunk while you hang out with your friends means you probably won't remember these fun times!
You know what, I may be bitter. Maybe I would be better off if I "chilled out" and indulged in just a little social drinking. Yeah, maybe that would help me to not think about my friends killing themselves slowly for one night of thrills. Maybe that would dull my sadness when I see a child killed by a drunk driver. Maybe then I won't be enraged when a man gets drunk and beats his wife/family into submission. Maybe then I won't worry about lives being ruined by dumb decisions made under the influence of alcohol. Maybe then I could rest easily knowing that me and my friends won't die of old age, but rather in our prime of life. Maybe then I won't feel the economic stress of taking care of alcoholics in prisons and hospitals.
Or not. I will continue to cringe at the sight of a teenage girl sipping some fruity cocktail because I know that one of those sips could be the last of her life or the last before she decides that she should do something dumb. I will continue to voice my opinion to those I love and let them know that I love them enough to want them to live healthy, fulfilling lives. And yes, I will even continue to endure the ridicule I receive when I state these truths.
There it is. Say your "amens" or curse me or whatever. This is how I feel.
I think you take the alcohol thing a little too seriously. Yes, I understand that alcohol can have profound consequences on a persons life and I understand that it/'s not the best decision to drink <21, but for some this is the night that they can sit back, relax, and get drunk with friends. They aren't alcoholics because of it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you go way too far in saying that a part of you dies with every drink. Your liver can take alcohol. That is one purpose of the liver, to rid the body of toxins. It's only after heavy binging time and time again that the liver starts to fail under too much stress. Only a serious alcoholic becomes a pickle. Many of the great men of this country have been past alcoholics.
Yes, I very much disagree with drunk driving, but "with every sip" you are not killing yourself. Really? So was everyone in the ancient world slowly killing themselves when they drank wine. Yes I understand that drinking wine was a necessity because of the state of their drinking water, but did that make them bad people? As with many things, the Bible states suggestions that may become outdated. They were put there as law just as a speed limit is law today. I understand that the Bible states that you should not get drunk. Where does that say all drinking is bad? And let me suggest that back then, when you got drunk, there wasn't really anyone to take care of you. Today, people get drunk in social situations to have fun, and if they take precautions, that is all it has to be. fun.
Haha! Jacob-bean, some people need to die at an accelerated rate.
ReplyDelete