Alcohol - Not Good, Just The Bad & Ugly

This time of the year is synonymous for people having a good time.

I'm never against having a good time, however why is it that amongst every social event there is enormous amounts of alcohol??

Personally, I am approaching 11 years of sobriety, almost 11 years without alcohol as I recognised it was destructive in my life. Alcohol turned me into someone I never wanted to be.

The one major thing I've noticed since my sobriety, is the negative destruction alcohol causes in communities this time of year.

Alcohol is often talked about as positive in regards to the easy community get together - 'let's get together and celebrate over a few beers' but for me, the negative far outweighs positive.

There have been 2 significant deaths in the 2 communities I've been living in, Wagga & Dubbo, of over the past few weeks. Both deaths have rattled the communities and were both very differing circumstances; one, a young man ran outside of a local watering hole to witness a fight and was king hit from the side killing him. The other, a local sportsman and larrikin who died by way of suicide.

The Christmas period just around the corner, the time of year to be with loved ones - we find two families absolutely shattered. I ask myself, could these situations have been avoided??

Both deaths very different, yet both seemed to have the common theme of alcohol present in the situations of story. If both young men weren't out partying, if both had not consumed fair amounts of alcohol, would two families be spending Xmas with their full family, rather then mourning a death?

Of both deaths I'd seen, a status on social media saying; 'let's get together for a few beers to send ..... off'

& of the other - a relative of the family had told me of his arrival to the wake - 'why do we see everyone at a wake of a funeral, smiling, even laughing, having beers - what's to celebrate or be happy about'??

He's exactly right - what is there to celebrate about death?

Alcohol is the cause of so much destruction in our communities, I really urge people to love and look after those close not just this holiday period but every day. Let's, as a community move away from applauding people, laughing at people who are so intoxicated that they make silly decisions - drink water between drinks; there are no prizes for being the drunkest, loudest or most stupid - alcohol is a leading catalyst for many accidents and in many cases deaths.

If you are going to drink, be responsible - best case; don't drink!!!

The 2 boys who passed recently - Rest Easy Boys ❤️️