Jun 04, 2001 03:27 PM
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I am a social drinker, never more than a glass at a time. Just like the taste of mix drinks or the blended ones. I've been around some people with drinking problems and it really made me see the power of addiction.
While I was young, about 8 or 9 years old. I had a friend in school that's very special to me. He's one of those friends that take care of you while you do the same in return. He had a problem when he was growing up, acutally he is lucky to even have got to that age. His mom was an addict to alcohol. She drank a lot while she was pregnant. He was dignosis with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. There are many version of FAS, but the one he got is liver failure. He had to taken out of school constantly because he will faint in middle of the class. One summer when I came back to school, he die during that period of time in the hosptal getting a transplant. I remember seeing his mom picking him up from school everyday and don't know if I should feel sorry for her. To me, she was selfish, and her selfishness took away the life of her own son. This was something I can relate to because my father was a heavy smoker, even when my mother was pregnant with me, he smokes constantly in the house. When I was born, I almost lost my life because my lungs was damage. Right now in my 20s, I could not swim or do any other sports because I just couldn't breath anymore. I lost half of my lung function beacuse of it.
I've had another friend in high school that was a victim to alchol. She had a father that would lose his temper and beats on everyone in the family when he is drunk. After years of abuse, her mom took her and her brother to social service to be away from the man that loves to drink more than his family.
It was not until the other time I really experience how an addiction can be deadly. End of high school when everyone is ready to leave and go to college. Friends gather a camping/party for the final farewell. There was like many other high school parties, there were a lot of beer. One of the girl I know, but not a friend. Drink so much beer that she started to lose it. She had a breakdown and tring to jump into the camp fire. Even though there were guys trying to held her back from hurting herself, she manage to push everyone off and burn from the fire. Finally someone called the paramedics arrives and saved her. I later find out that she's been drinking to avoid the pressure of school and family expectation.
There are nothing wrong with just taking some wine with your dinner or drinking for the pleasure of drinking. As soon as people are drinking to escape reality or feel lost control to stop drinking. They are most likely to be addicted to alchol.
