I have absolutely no tolerance for people who abuse alcohol or drugs at the expense of another. I have seen two many people wheeled into the ER or recovery room, d.o.a., fatalities of someone else's "i*n*d*e*s*c*r*e*s*t*i*o*n. The pathetic irony of it all is that it's usually the drunk driver who survives. If someone chooses to kill themselves, slowly or swiftly, through his/her over indulgence in alcohol or drugs, well, I suppose that is their choice. However, I wonder if they realize that in so doing, they also destroy many other lives along the way, if not in the physical sense, then surely emotionally. That's the reason Alanon was created. Alocholism destroyed my childhood.
2 Kitties...you wrote...I agree with you to a point, but a specious arguement none the less. Perhaps, in our desire, misguided (???) efforts to protect our children from the harmful and untoward ramifications of sex, alcohol, etc we have created a culture which makes the "forbidden fruit" all the more tempting and ultimately "dangerous."I think the US does itself a disservice on so many issues. We don't adequatly educate teens about sex, we don't provide birth control options, we set these silly drinking ages, we don't legalize a harmless smoking substance, etc. If you look at European countries who have their heads out of their ***es and understand we don't need to apply puritan laws to the masses, you'll see their drinking/drug related deaths and their teen pregnancy rates are much much lower than the US. I think the moral majority in the US is a wonderful thing, until teens suffer because of it.
However, once must question then where does the concept of personal accountabilty come into play??? Therein lies the quandry. You don't want "puritan laws" to set parmeters within which our citizens must function? Well then I challenge both youth and adults to set responsible and ethical guidelines of their own. Perhaps parents have fallen short in their role in this respect. If you don't want "Mommy," or the government, or "big brother" mandating accepatable paradigms of behavior, then have the common sense to set your own and abide by them.
You reference "Eurpoean" nations who "have their heads out of their ***es." Well, I'm of Eurpoean descent, 1st generation and have in the past and still visit my family in Norway and Sweden often. You know, I really don't know what the legal "drinking age" is there. But, I can tell you this. The legal definition of intoxication is far lower than ours though the rate of alcoholism is higher, as it is in many European countries. AND, if you are caught driving while drunk, the penalties far swifter and more severe, I assure you! There, the kids and adults, if planning a night out drinking or whatever, DO NOT DRIVE! They take the bus, the train or walk or drive with someone not drinking or party at home. Yes, the fatality rate of deaths by drunk drivers is much lower than that of the U.S. but NOT because of the absence of "head of their ***es," puritan law. If someone has a real problem with substance abuse (as I acknowledge it is an illness) then it is incumbant upon THEM to pull THEIR heads out of THEIR ***es and get help. That's what "sick" people do; seek help for an illness.
For the rest of us, as the Greeks in their wisdom so simply yet so exquisitely put it..."Everything in moderation." That is one precept that has guided my life decisions and served me well. And use some common sense and apply some personal accountablity. We as individuals don't exist in a vacuum and our individual actions can and do have far reaching effects, both positive and negative.
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