The next few chapters are about subjects I discussed with my lovely partner (<3) not so long ago. I will inform you on each and every subject and hopefully doing that will enlighten some, make some aware of certain things or question certain things and perhaps even start some debates, dialects and more discussions.
Alcohol, what a disgusting beverage.
What is alcohol?
a : ethanol especially when considered as the intoxicating agent in fermented and distilled liquors.
b : drink (such as whiskey or beer) containing ethanol.
c : a mixture of ethanol and water that is usually 95 percent ethanol.
(Provided by the Merriam Webster Dict.)
Even though these definitions do their jobs defining what alcohol is, they don't mention how dangerous the beverage itself actually is. Alcohol is a drug. It is addictive and it can bring many harmful short-term and long-term effects on different parts of your body. More on, as once stated by our dear friend SomeRandomer2 and according to many different websites, alcohol is one of the most lethal drugs in the world and it is legally sold! The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 3.3 million deaths are caused by the harmful use of alcohol.
The drug itself comes with many consequences if consumed. It can affect how the brain works, interfere with some of its pathways which can change your mood or behaviour, make it harder for you to think clearly and it can mess with your coordination. Consuming a lot of alcohol can damage your heart, leading to strokes, high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy and more. Heavy drinking can take a toll on your liver and lead to problems like fibrosis, alcoholic hepatitis and more. It can affect your pancreas which can, over time, lead to pancreatitis. Alcohol can also increase your risk of developing certains cancers in certain areas such as the mouth, the throat, the liver and many more. Last but not least, and probably the most obvious one, it can heavily weaken your immune system.
So if alcohol is such a harmful and lethal drug, why is it legal?
There's an act (the Controlled Substances Act) that regulates which drugs are legal to be produced based on these three criterias:
1- The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse.
2- The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.
3- There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.
And so, based on these criterias, it defies common sense for alcohol to be legal in any way. It has a high potential for abuse, it has no conventionally accepted medical benefits, and alcohol isn't used "safely" under medical supervision.
So again, you wonder: why is alcohol legal?
Not a lot of people really know why it is still legal, but some have a few ideas. First of all, a lot of people drink it. Whether it be on a regular basis or just at parties, according to reports, at least half the population of Americans at age 12 or older drink or have already drunk alcohol. It is a highly popular beverage amongst teenagers and adults and some even take it as part of their culture. Furthermore, its industry is extremely powerful. Making the drug illegal would strike a significant blow in the US' economy. Reports show that its industry has produced over 400 billion $ for the US and has employed more than 3.9 million people. Lastly, alcohol goes way back. It goes back to Ancient China, Egypt and Mesopotamia. There wasn't ever a time in human history where alcohol was not part of its experience.
There's a bit more, but we won't go all the way there. I've done enough research for today.
Anyways, what's worse is that, despite alcohol being a fairly dangerous beverage, lots of young kids (teens) drink it. They don't drink it because they think it tastes good, of course not. They drink it for the effect. So basically, they drink alcohol at parties so that they can have more fun (that's what they all say). Though you can have fun without alcohol. That's something lots of teens don't seem to want to accept or understand. Some are also pressured by their peers. I once asked my bestfriend if he would ever drink alcohol at parties. He said he didn't wan't to, because he knew he could have fun without the drug, but that he maybe still would drink it because he wouldn't want to be rejected. His answer struck me so hard, because I knew that that was how lots of teens felt. They were afraid to get rejected by others by not drinking. I once thought about it, and I felt the same thing. Though that didn't change my mind on the matter, because I despise alcohol for other personal reasons.
All in all though, if you want my opinion on whether you should drink or not, I'd say don't. Though, I won't entirely judge you if you do drink alcohol (or want to drink it). You have the freedom of doing whatever you want and if you think that alcohol is a useful way to have fun, then go ahead, I don't really give a damn. I just wanted to inform y'all on the subject. One last thing before I end this, do not ever judge someone for not wanting to drink alcohol. If you ever do shame a friend for them not wanting to drink alcohol, shame on you, you garbage ass person.
That's all folks!
Peace out you miserable peasants!
