What If You Could Never Drink Again!

You can never drink again?

Think about it. Never to drink again. To savor that initial sip, the exhilarating delicious first swallow of a cold brew, the rush that comes with it. Icy cold going down... the releasing expulsion of pleasurable air (for some this is the culmination of that first brew, loudly and triumphantly, much to the chagrin of us more class gentlemen), the relaxation of leaning back, remote in hand, if that be your particular scenario, or just easing listening to your favorite jazz or holding your sweetheart for some moments of contemplative reverie.

Alcohol. The be all do all to all, all the time hope laid on, hope dashed through, visions created with, and destroyed by social lubricant that has left destruction in its path in every life it has ever touched. Yet we love our alcohol. Couldn't do with it.

At a party after work, we imbibe for the sake of tiredness or to relax. The pleasure of good company and for the relief it seems to give when stress falls upon us. At dinner, the occasional wine is acceptable enough for some to even let the children have an occasional sip. On the weekend, it's a must. Monday night football could not survive without it. Beer wine and spirit producers would go crazy and out of business.

Accept it. We are a nation of drinking maniacs who cherish every drink like it's our last and who probably, without the sustenance of our liquor, not know what to do.

We have the highest mortality rate for teenage drinkers in the world other than Russia, but they have pretty much nothing to do but drink. More marriages are destroyed by alcoholism than ANY disease.

Research studies find that 80% of high school seniors have tried alcohol, 32% have gotten drunk in the last thirty days, 49% have smoked marijuana and 63% have smoked cigarettes. The average 18-year-old has seen 100,000 television commercials encouraging him or her to drink. More alcoholism is being found in the elderly now that more baby boomers are retiring. (more)

And these figures are rising daily! Our young people want the legal drinking age lowed to eighteen and in some states it already is and younger. In Idaho, the legal drinking age is twelve. I guess you don't have to be sober to drive a tractor.

For more sobering thought (no pun intended) look at the facts behind alcoholism and realize that it is a dangerous drug.

ALCOHOLISM STATISTICS
(For more information on Alocholism and its actual effects go to web site, Alcoholism/Drug/Abuse/Teen/Gambling/Addiction Treatment Information)

Armed with all this information you would think that we could be a wary nation when it comes to drinking? That our young people would think first before going all out with the raves and disorder you find on most college campuses these days during off times. Yet we give no warning on the bottle that it is indeed a drug. We don't tell anyone that it could be addicting and destroy your dreams. Our commercials only show the good that goes with drinking. Party hardy and have another.

But why drink in the first place? Some people go their entire lives never having tasted the nectar of the gods, and cannot comprehend the hoopla over its sale, its lure or attraction. The aspect that you could develop a disease by drinking it is as foreign as another language as noted by comments of many to the effect, "Why don't they just stop drinking if it's making a problem." Fact is they cannot. The disease is one that grabs its victims in a vise grip of deception and cunning self-delusion that it's not a wonder why when you see a drunk anywhere, they will always deny the fact that they're drunk, even of they're falling down.

But let's admit it, it is fun to drink. So far we've dealt with the negatives, but the positive is that drinking is fun. Camaraderie grows freely and conversation flows easily. Some become the life of the party, others revel in the uninhibited nature different sexes present, and for those others so ensconced in their particular spirit, just the glow of the alcohol itself is enough.

We're party animals and we like our booze! But if you were told one day though that you could never have another, what would you do? Would you accept it graciously? Go on about your business as if nothing in particular had been removed from your life? Would you be that 8.9 percent that it wouldn't bother to give up alcohol forever?

MORE ALCOHOLISM STATISTICS:

"The brain of someone addicted to alcohol is a changed brain. The chronic use of any mood-altering chemical first chemically changes the brain as the cells respond to the poison by producing counteracting chemical compounds that reduce the effects on the cell. If the use continues, the brain changes in structure and, finally, it changes in genetics.

Alcohol abuse can destroy families in many ways. More than 40% of separated or divorced women were married to or lived with a problem drinker. So why would you think twice about eliminating this dangerous drug from your life?

Because it does not affect YOU! You who can go out and drink night after night and never once feel the pain and anguish or misery of a hangover. YOU who can't wait even now till you finish reading and get off, to go have that first after work beer. You who would never think you had a drinking problem. What's the problem, "I drink, I fall down, no problem!" Many have jokingly said that as a last epitaph and in many cases it has been. But this is a serious problem across America, and in the world. Underdeveloped countries wallow in the mire of alcoholism as the only way to peace and comfort. Their only respite from whatever strife or turmoil their country may be experiencing at the moment. And we all sit idly by drink in hand underestimating the effect that ice filled glass is having on so many lives... even as we ask for another. It's really something to think about and about how we relate to the substance that some of us feel is the safest thing in the world if used correctly. But there are many out there who don't know how to use it correctly. There are many out there dying as I write this. Many who just wanted to have that last drink, for that last good time, the last hurrah so to speak... and for some, it was, and will be.

So what would you do, if the choice came down... could you live without alcohol in your life?

If you think you have a drinking problem, or know someone who you think has one, please pass on this information or use it yourself to get help and become someone who can be loved again.

"The only way to think about alcoholism accurately is that you are dealing with a person who is dying."

A cut on your head probably won't kill you. A broken bone probably won't kill you. But alcoholism will kill you if you let it. The death certificate might list a vehicle accident, heart attack, or a stroke. It might be called cirrhosis or cancer, but the cause is addiction. The accident happened because the patient was intoxicated. The murder happened because the person was drunk. The person died of liver failure from alcohol abuse. Alcoholism is a murderer, and it will kill you your friend lover boyfriend husband close relative and even your young child. The only hope you or your loved has is you. You are the only one who knows or suspects the problem. I don't know what your job is, but these people's only hope is you. You might be the nurse, clergy, EMT, paramedic, police officer, ambulance driver, teacher, counselor, child, or spouse, but you see the truth and no body else does. If you remain silent, the serial killer will murder again and again and again.

Again if you need help or knows someone who does call one of the agencies below and get them help... get yourself help if you're worried about you, but most of all if you've ever thought you might have a problem, talk to someone about it.

I did, and I haven't had a drink for thirteen years!

You can do it too... if you've finally reached that "moment of sobriety." Contact one of the agencies listed.

Remember, if think you have a problem with alcohol... you probably do.

Places to seek help or counseling:

AA Alcoholics Anonymous

Addictions Recovery Center of Medford:

ADEPT (Crossroads of Roseburg):

Alcoholism Treatment:

Spiritual Treatment:

Call the Alcohol Hot Line at 1-800-992-1921 if you or someone you know has an alcohol, drug or gambling problem.
People WITH alcohol or addiction problems sincerely do not believe they have a problem. This information is for those who may think they are experiencing difficulties with their drinking and want to find information that may be of use before the destructive forces of the drug take its inevitable toll.