Drink in Moderation and Don't Drink and Drive, Just Saying

One thing about moral depredation is how slowly and tenuously it happens, as with any other addiction. Surely, there's an amount of self-denial also happening, as in a drunk saying, "I am not drunk." In this country we have always had a tradition of heavy drinking. That means, if we open a bottle, we won't be content until we finish it. The idea is to numb our senses, to render everything else null and void. We do this with great felicity. We think it's our right after a hard day's work. But alcohol is alcohol and it takes a heavy toll. It does, ultimately. If it is consumed without moderation it will lead to a lot of trouble which will start manifesting later on.

So I discovered the hard way. Not that I was a heavy drinker, just a casual one. "Wine is not alcohol, is it?" (Yes, it is.) "Beer is not alcohol, no?" (Yes, it is.) No, even a casual binge with friends on a weekend is alcohol consumption, or so the doctor warned me. It damages the liver and the liver is such a silent organ that it doesn't send out signals that it is being overloaded. It suffers in silence. So it is heartening to find this site that advocates drinking in moderation, or this, or this article in the Guardian.

One sure sign of addiction is when the drinker reaches for the bottle first thing every morning. Yes, I know of people who do that. First thing before brushing their teeth they down a few pegs and stagger out of bed. A friend of mine does it everyday and then staggers around as he walks. If he is asked he would deny it. They would lie, cheat, bad-mouth, but pretend to be very virtuous people. There lies the danger, because after this point, the drinker doesn't look back, in fact, he/she cannot.

So, moral of the story, drink in moderation, and never, never drink and drive.

I am @johnwriter on Twitter and John.Matthew on Facebook. I blog here.