I write about a number of different topics on this blog.  It is my blog after all.  I like to mix it up a bit.  A little seriousness, a lot of nonsense.  A perfect mirror image of my life.  But it seems, from the number of hits, that you dear readers would like to talk about…discuss…ponder … substance abuse.  So, let’s do that for a bit.

Let’s review some of the numbers……17.6 million people suffer from alcoholism, or some dependance on alcohol….along with several million more who engage in risky drinking behaviors.  Alcohol is a factor in 30% of sexual offenses.  The same in burglaries, and 50% of street crimes.

Alcohol is one of the leading causes of accidents.  You know, the tripping over a table after having a few drinks kind of accidents.  And the more you drink, the more likely you are to have an accident.  Alcohol slows down your reflexes.  It effects the way that you process information, your balance, your eyesight and hearing.  Alcohol helps you lose concentration.

And in all of that alcohol acts as a weird permission slip.  It makes you feel that  it is ok to get behind the wheel, to climb up on that table and dance, or that the girl telling you no really means yes.  Alcohol is the great liar.  The great uninhibitor.  Alcohol steals your reason, and allows you to make decisions based upon faulty reasoning.  You might think that you are ok to drive, but you really aren’t.  You may think that the friends you came with to a party will be there to help you if you get into a dicey situation, but don’t forget that they are most likely drinking also.

So, where does all of that information lead us?  It is all sounding rather preachy to me.  And that is almost as scary to me as not talking about it at all.  Alcohol surrounds us.  Our society loves alcohol.  We use and abuse alcohol with the same gleeful abandon.  It is the monster that we try to convince ourselves we can control.  And we hate talking about the negative.

Ever see someone fall down the stairs at a sporting event because they drank too much?  How about someone being tossed out of a bar because of the same?  Doesn’t it all come down to each individual controlling themselves?  Of course it does!  Obesity is rampant in the United States, we don’t force food down peoples throats and make them fat.  Of course not!  But we do through the media tell them how easy, and fun it is to go out and eat fat and sugar laden foods.  Think about it…when is the last time you saw a commercial for vegetables?

It is the same with alcohol.   We don’t force it down anyones throat.  During the holidays we show the Public Service Announcements for the DUI checkpoints.  We try to convince people not to drink and drive because of the shame it will bring them.  Not that they could kill someone, or themselves.  Ever see a PSA talking about domestic violence fueled by alcohol?  Or how about sexual assault?  Of course not.  That would be offensive.  That would be too real.

And we really don’t like reality, do we?