I consume alcohol. That statement is a fact. I drink from vodka, to rum and on the rare occasion, a beer. I do not drink it excessively. I drink it socially. I am old enough to consume alcohol and have never done so when I was under the age of 18. I have had very bad experiences with the consumption of alcohol. I have never gotten drunk, nor do I ever intend to, but I have seen very close relatives very intoxicated and I have seen them making fools of themselves. I have also seen friends who have thrown up on streets and make murky decorations across public pavements.I have never said or thought that peer pressure made me drink alcohol. I always believed it was my personal choice. I remember the day quite vividly actually. It was but a normal day after studying for exams in a Chinese restaurant in San Juan, when my friend introduced me to the vodka drink, Smirnoff.
It's amazing what your first drink can do to you. Every time my tongue touches those effervescent bubbles of smooth vodka in glass bottle, my mind is flashed to distinct memories of that day. Alcohol has many powers, or so my friends like to say. Alcohol has a controversial history. Religiously it was used such as the Greek who considered it to be the ultimate drink of celebration. Common scenes from Greek stories are of men, tipping their glasses of alcoholic wine as they exclaim "To the Gods!" Of course, the modern religious perspective of alcohol is one of disdain and condemnation, very much a contradiction to the religious morals and values of today. Taxes are so extremely high on alcohol, a well devised preventative measure to keep the society sober, especially in Trinidad and Tobago. I must admit that with wayward drivers, and too many citizens that suffer serious "tabancas", the taxes on alcohol should increase further. Honestly we (as a people) simply drink too much.
Alcoholism is something that I am strongly against, for I have experienced this explicitly within my family structure. From such experiences I have formulated my own definition of Alcoholism which is simply the action of consuming alcohol excessively and uncontrollably in order to run away or distant oneself from life problems and difficult challenges. Alcoholism is pathetic, and I admire those who seek help and assistance from Alcoholic Anonymous groups. I admire them because they decided to leave the rest of pathetic people and make decent lives out of themselves. Underage consumption is something I condemn as well. Primarily because it is the law of the land and we should obey the law. If it was not law, my perspective would have probably changed. Alcohol is a wonderful ADULT social drink and it should stay that way...it was not meant for children so please remember this particularly during the Christmas season.
Shahad Ali