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Feb. 26, 2006 There is an aspect of alcoholism that is rarely seen. A side to an already treacherous mountain that is even more jagged and perilous than we imagined. I have rarely touched alcohol in my life, only a few dozen sips in eighteen years or so. I never grew up with it being taboo in my house. Actually, my father told me that if I ever wanted to drink he wanted me to do so at home first so I could learn my tolerance and that way, if I was to become drunk, he and my mom could take care of me. I never took him up on this offer and I never will. My great-grandfather was an alcoholic and so my grandfather made a promise to never touch alcohol. His entire life, as far as I know, he never did. My grandfather passed away when I was sixteen years old but I made the same promise the day he died, that I would never allow a drop of alcohol to pass my lips again, and I have kept that promise. Therefore, this aspect of alcoholism that I am talking about doesn't directly concern me, but it effects me more than anyone could ever imagine. This aspect of alcoholism takes this form: He walks down the hallway, short brown hair, green-blue eyes, lips curved in a smile. There is a backpack slung over his shoulders and the jeans he wears are baggy, the same as the t-shirt that's a few sizes too large. His sneakers are probably untied but he's gotten so used to that by now that he doesn't mind. So he walks into class, ignoring the untied laces and the baggy pants and he sits down at his desk, pulls out a notebook, and waits for the professor to enter the room. This young man is eighteen years old, and this young man is an alcoholic. How do I know this? Because the young man that I have just described for you is my boyfriend, the love of my life and a person that makes me happier than I have ever been. He is also the unseen face of alcoholism. After all, alcoholics are lower class men and women that smoke and have lots of children and low paying jobs. Or they're Mr. and Mrs. Suburbia that shout behind closed doors when one knocks over the others favorite lamp. On January 1st, 2006, my boyfriend sat in his room alone, drinking rum and power aid, until he had finished off an entire 64oz bottle of power aid, I would assume, although I do not know the exact figures, that he had approximately eight to ten drinks in about three hours. He then vomited all over his floor and went to bed sobbing. The face he saw when he looked in the mirror was not his own but the face of his father, another alcoholic like he is. My boyfriend has not had a drink since then. I found out the 13th of January and said, to his face, "You are an alcoholic," forcing him to admit the circumstances to himself. I know that this may be something that I will face for the rest of our lives together, hopefully that will be quite some time, but many people ignore this. Teenagers cannot possibly be alcoholics, they are simply in a phase of testing, trying out new things, being social, breaking rules, having fun. In my opinion, alcohol is worse than any other drug because we see it as something socially acceptable and not only that, but the addiction is disguised as a disease. Alcoholism is not a disease or a failing, it is an addiction, but different than heroin or cocaine, alcohol often is not in the alcoholic's system at all times. Many alcoholics will get drunk once a week, or just on the weekends, or maybe even just a few times a year, therefore, they have no physical dependency, no withdrawal symptoms, they have an urge, and impulse, and the inability to deny those things. My father drinks one drink, maybe three to five nights a week. I have seen him tipsy once in my life, and even then he wasn't drunk, but there is a new generation of alcohol abusers being born and being ignored because they're "too young" to have a problem. It is time for parents to look at their kids, for teenagers to look at their own behavior. I have never been drunk, my plans for my 21st birthday are to go to a bar and tell the bartender I just turned 21 and to give me a Coke on the rocks, hold the alcohol. To me that sounds like a ton of fun. Drinking, being drunk, is not necessary, and it is something that people need to look much more seriously. For the rest of my life I will be living with an alcoholic, recovering though he may be, and it is something that will tighten my stomach every time he goes out with his friends, but this is the life I chose to live no matter what hardships I may face in the future. Hopefully you will catch your friends, your family members, your brothers and sisters and sons and daughters, before drinking becomes a problem. This is a plea; if you need to drink, drink one or two and then stop, don't put the people you love through the pain that I have been through. Just because you're a teenager, or a young adult, doesn't mean you are invincible, and alcoholism is not prejudice based on age. ------------ About the author Patrie Davis: I have opened a web site for notes and comments on my essays. Basically it is a supplemental site. First of all, I am not endorsed, being paid, or sponsored by anyone, each and every thought is my own, so I am promoting my site as an addition if you so chose to use it as such, to the essays that I will be writing on Useless Knowledge. The URL is www.studiesinenlightenment.blogspot.com. If people are interested in what I have been saying, I will try to keep the site updated. Also, please feel free to comment, email, contact me however you wish and I will do my best to respond. Thank you for taking the additional time you have spent reading this. Email: MantacoreX5@aol.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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