Melissa Meek / Roundup
Drinking never hurt anyone. Just one won’t hurt.
I wish it were true, that alcohol never hurt anyone and that it was perfectly safe to have a few and not worry.
I watched my father drink heavily from as far back as I can remember. It didn’t get any better, only worse as the years went on.
My parents divorced when I was eight years old, and I know the main reason was because of his drinking. It never became dangerous, or so I thought. He wouldn’t drink and drive, but he would pass out after too many and just sleep it off.
I was wrong to think it wasn’t destroying him.
It was only a few years ago that my mother got a phone call saying he was in the hospital. He had tried to drink himself to death, and as a result, he’d had a stroke. And was partially paralyzed.
I didn’t know what to think or how to react. It was hard to understand him on the phone because of his slurred speech and I couldn’t go see him. I didn’t want to see what alcohol had done to him.
I wanted to tell him to just stop drinking, but I knew it wasn’t that easy. Stopping “cold turkey” is not the right choice for everyone.
According to alcoholaddiction.org, 2,261,000 people in California have an addiction to alcohol. It may seem small, considering how big the state is and how many millions of people live here, but it’s still a number that shouldn’t be as high as it is.
Alcohol is everywhere in college and at parties. Do I get tempted? Of course. Do I act on it? Sometimes, but just thinking about my father stops me after a few sips.
Alcohol can be enjoyable, but it has to be consumed responsibly.
Recent studies have shown a glass of wine a day can improve your health. Anything more than that can lead to acting stupid, hangovers and addiction.
As a student, my education comes first. I can’t learn if I am unable to function properly and I need to have my mind in the right place. I don’t want alcohol to ruin my life, or even end it.
More than 21,000 people died of alcohol-related causes in 2006, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those people had lives to live and could’ve made a difference, but now they’re just part of a statistic.
I don’t want my father to be just another statistic.
Melissa Meek (Melissa Meek / Roundup)
