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 How much is too much?   

   By Corrie Ann Cunningham
   IV Leader Staff

    Alcohol has become a major problem, especially amongst young adults. How has it grown into the major crisis it is today and will we ever find a solution to over consumption of alcohol?
    I am not saying that we should ban alcohol completely, but hope that one day more people will realize alcohol is not an easy escape route. Yes, alcohol may numb and put aside stresses in the present moment, but it will only worsen them afterwards. I also hope and pray that people, most of who are around my age, would see that they do not need to over drink to become more socially acceptable or to increase their amount of fun. Friends are supposed to appreciate you for who you truly are and not what alcohol turns you into.
    Unfortunately, too many people think that alcohol lightens the party by enhancing the inner comedian, dare devil, or relaxed attitude within.
    Since I was a child, I have witnessed many in my family, who I love dearly, use alcohol as an escape route from reality. Many over drink because it is sociably acceptable in the culture in which they live. In my family’s neighborhood, a large predominantly Irish community in the South Side of Chicago, the streets are lined with pubs. While I was practically raised in the pub, I was fortunate to have parents who never encouraged me to drink.
    Now that I am 21, my dad’s family is starting to push the drink on me. I do not mind a couple mixed drinks at a party, but have to admit I am sickened by the taste of beer. After turning down their many offers, my family still wonders why I do not care to consistently drink. “Come on, Corrie Ann, you are 21 now; have a cold one.”
    At parties, my mother worries about not having enough food, which is not an issue. The main concern is how many cases of beer we should buy.
    Even after my dad passed away from liver disease, caused from years of over consumption of alcohol, my family still drinks heavily. What my family does not understand is that I am perfectly content with one mixed drink.
    I face a similar situation of being asked why I do not drink with friends and cousins in this area. At parties, I feel as if I am seen as strange or a prude because I choose not to participate in drunkenness. I grow angry when I see their friends brag about how hung over they are from the night before and how they plan to get wasted again.
    The point is that we are encouraging such ignorance in our society. Alcohol, like any other addiction, can one day lead to greater complications in the future or may lead to death. Many of us who try to deny the thought of death and other devastating consequences of alcohol are in for a major surprise. Though alcohol abuse may not seem like a major problem when we are young, it can creep up behind us when we are not looking.

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