Take a good look at this picture. For some who drink alcohol the price for one glass of these is fair exchange for a human life. Or in the case I'm about to share with you... three lives. Everyone knows that there is a limit to what the human body can handle in alcohol. But not everybody cares.
Personally I have never tasted alcohol and I never will. There are several reasons for my choice. One reason is for all the damage even a few sips do to the body, especially the female body. There's science and medical studies to prove this. But the most compelling reason for my personal choice is what alcohol does to people. I'm not just talking about irresponsible behaviors of those who get drunk but the ( I'm sorry but its true) stupidity of folks who let their drunk friends get behind the wheel.
Alcohol doesn't just affect these people... it affects anyone on the roads at the same time a drunk is out " having fun."
Recently, someone I know became drunk one evening after work. A guy friend picked her up from work and took her to a bar. After drinking until the bar closed the "friend" ( drunk himself) drove her back to work where he watched her get into her SUV. It was 2am. She turned onto a highway via the wrong exit and drove on the wrong side of the highway. Two trucks saw her coming and managed to veer out of her way but a car, carrying three men ( all fathers), were behind the second truck and didn't have time to react.
The truck drivers said it sounded as if two trains collided, the impact was so loud. One of the truck drivers used to be an EMT and immediately fell back upon his training and experience. He hurried to the car with the three men and arrived in time to find the driver moaning weakly. Rushing back to his truck to get his cell phone and dial 911 he returned only to find the car silent. After a quick check he discovered that all three men were dead. One of them had been the father of seven children. They were two brothers and a friend who had volunteered to take the night shift for fellow co-workers who couldn't make it that night.
The drunk driver only had minor injuries, to the astonishment of the truck drivers. Her SUV was upside down and totaled but she was completely conscious and able to give coherent replies to questions. After being treated she was released to her home where a day or two later she was taken to prison and now awaits trial. But the most she might get is 9 years... 3 years per life lost. The state of PA gives drunk drivers a slap on the wrist. I know this woman and it grieves me to know what she did. But I'm even more devastated at all the lives hurt by her actions and the irresponsibility of her friend that night. Three families and her own family are all suffering for it. What a selfish thing to do.
The bottom line is this: if you drink don't drive. Get a cab, carpool ( which is cheaper by-the-way with gas prices and all), walk! If that's too inconvenient or embarrassing then don't go out and drink because you are liable to kill someone. Period. Life is so precious and so short as it is.... please, PLEASE get help if alcohol is a weakness for you. That's the responsible thing to do and don't let anyone make you feel bad for getting help. I and everyone I know are in mourning in so many levels. It hurts so much... like a nightmare you can't wake up from...
So be careful how you act; these are difficult days. Don’t be fools; be wiser: make the most of every opportunity you have for doing good. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to find out and do whatever the Lord wants you to. Ephesians 5: 15-17
Yes, the Lord hears the good man when he calls to Him for help and saves him out of all his troubles. The Lord is close to those whose hearts are breaking; He rescues those who are humbly sorry for their sins. Psalm 34: 17-18
6 comments:
Your story about your friend is so sad and unnecessarily so. I drink occasionally but make sure I do not get drunk. I know my limit and I do not want to live with the responsibility of causing any one harm by being drunk.
But on the whole, Society is not teaching people to drink responsibly. More action needs to be taken.
I know of people who went to school with me and also suffered because of drinking & driving. Some were the irresponsible ones and some were innocent victims. But I completely agree with you. It's a stupid, selfish, irresponsible thing to do which endangers the lives of many.
I drink only on special occasions and never a lot. And the only reason I even drink anything is because my mother's ex-boyfriend was the owner of a liqueur factory/brand. He made me taste the stuff (just a small taste though). I know that no matter the reason I started, I just should do it at all. But I do it... rarely and with moderation.
lone grey squirrel: your right. Society doesn't do enough. I think there are a lot of reasons for this. I'm not really sure what can be done about it, though.
algelic:
I think the sad truth is that almost everyone knows someone who has been hurt by irresponsible drinking.
But I'm not trying to make anyone feel guilty for drinking in moderation. I think, maybe the problem is that most folks don't respect the power/ seduction of alcohol as they should. In the wrong hands it is absolutely dangerous, like taking heavy medication or handling a gun.
If anyone drinks they have to respect their body and its limit, even if everyone else around them can handle more. :)
Where I went to college nobody drank & drove because everything was within walking distance. I lived in Colorado for a short time and I was so shocked that everyone there did it. One friend of a friend I met was on trial for seriously injuring a woman while he was drinking and driving... I hate that people somehow think it is an ok thing to do.
sasha:
Me too. :) Lone grey squirrel I think said it best, " ... society is not teaching people to drink responsibly. More action needs to be taken."
I agree. But what more can be done? Perhaps make a bigger effort with the younger generations? Like in schools and not just have them sit and listen to a lecture but have actual victims come in and speak. Some places might do this... most don't.
The biggest problem is that alcohol is big business in the States. The dollar doesn't care about lives.
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