Tuesday, July 5, 2011

30DBC03: Drugs and Alcohol

Yesterday, I said that I didn’t have the energy to pursue this topic, but as I sat down to blog today, I realized that I can actually keep it pretty straightforward.

Drugs: I hate them.  While I have never personally tried any type of substance, I have firsthand knowledge of the havoc that substance abuse can wreak on a person and a family.  So, yeah.  That’s all I have to say about that.

Alcohol: My stance on this one is a little less emphatic, but not by much.

People initially don’t believe me when I tell them that I’ve never had a drink, of anything alcoholic.  Ever.  And I’m 30.  But it’s just something that I knew, at a young age, that I would never try.

Alcoholism runs in my family, and it has taken the lives (either directly or indirectly) of several people I love.  Nothing good comes of anyone drinking to excess; I just happen to have some people in my life who may, either on occasion or as a standard, drink too much, and it alters their personalities beyond recognition.  And I hate it.

My aversion to alcohol, personally, is so strong that it was one of those “differences” that I mentioned  in my post about Jim.  In fact, on our second (I think) date, I told him that if he wasn’t willing to give up alcohol, entirely, for me, that we didn’t have a future.  And for almost 5 years he did.  It was only after Jim had gone above and beyond to prove his commitment to me, and to show me that he was a man of extreme self control, that I let down my guard enough to trust him when it came to his decision to have the occasional drink.

But I digress…

I don’t judge or condemn those who drink.  My parents, my friends, pretty much everyone I know drinks, to some degree.  And that’s fine.  It’s just not for me.  I know that I have an addictive personality.  I can admit I enjoy my post-c-section pain pills a little too much, and I’m a little bummed when I don’t have the pain to warrant taking them…that right there tells me that I don’t need to play with fire with any other type of mood-altering substance, be it drug or alcohol.

So, there you have it.

1 comment:

Mere said...

No alcohol in 30 years? Very impressive! Same here. Only I'm not 30 yet ;) I turn 21 on Friday and everyone has been asking when and where I'm getting my first drink. I think I throw them for a loop when I say "never." Also as a Christian, I just don't think it's something I should do. Glad to know someone else out there is against it! :)