Decisions made without considering consequences result from flawed mentality. As a kid, I was exposed to the effects of alcohol by my dad who became angry and abusive when intoxicated. The more he drank, the more his personality changed from sociable to combative.
First, it was one drink then the second drink then another, and soon he was drunk. As a kid, I saw drunks become aggressively unpredictable, so I left home at age 14 to avoid being cloned.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse, the consumption of alcohol accounts for 88,000 deaths per year in the country. Why anyone would be so obsessed with such unnatural inclinations defies understanding.
New York State’s office on Alcohol and Substance abuse indicate 23.9 million Americans are afflicted with the malady. With speeding, texting, and altered mentality it’s easy to understand why so many deadly automobile accidents occur.
Females looking for friends in the wrong places endanger themselves by becoming inebriated among aggressive males. Skimpy attire is dangerously provocative.
Breweries and distillers romance their products with parties, showing guests smiling, having a great time; down the hatch, chug-a-lug, a toast to everyone, drink-up, clinking glasses. Cheers!
What is not promoted is the history of ramifications from the excessive consumption of brain-numbing substances: wrecks, fist fights, job loss, infidelity, divorce, marital abuse, road rage, injuries, lawyer fees, imprisonment, family estrangement, financial ruin, cirrhosis of the liver, physical and mental incapacitation and suicide.
An attorney with whom I played golf invited me to his home for dinner. The first words I heard were, “What can I get you to drink?”
I said, “A coke.”
“I mean a real drink.”
“I don’t drink.”
“Hey, you can have one.”
“Do I need to forget good judgment to be your guest?”
“No, but loosen up, live a little.”
I could hear the raucous sounds of gaiety emanating from the den. Through French doors, I could see an amply stocked liquor cabinet.
My decision was easy. “Good night, Jack.”
Common sense says if you put your hand on a hot stove you will be burned and if you walk too closely behind a skittish horse, you can be kicked and even killed.
Bill is a WW II Navy veteran and retired President of York Furs in Buckhead. You can contact him by email at Sioux2222@gmail.com
