day 3

Your views on drugs and alcohol.

Ok, this is a good one, I guess.

For a long time, I think I felt like I was different because of how I felt about alcohol. I don't think it's a bad thing. I don't think it's a sin to drink it. I totally believe you can be a Christian and have a beer. Or even two. However, when I was in college, my friends didn't have a beer (or two). They went to parties with the sole intent of getting drunk. I knew this and they knew this. And it annoyed me and I wanted to avoid it. And for some reason that annoyed them. In my head I told myself it was because it made them look bad that someone their age was able to refuse it, to not give in to the pressure, to have a good time without the alcohol. I was never preachy about it. I didn't push myself on people. I just didn't go to the parties. If you know something is going to consist of things you don't like, why go? That would be dumb. But I know for a fact I was talked about for not liking the whole "getting drunk" atmosphere and that, to me, is so lame. I really think they should have found something else to not like me for.

For me, the real offense, the worst thing you can do, is drive impaired. You want to look stupid and sloppy and get drunk and make poor choices? Fine. Go ahead. But the second you get behind the wheel you stop running the chances of just ruining your life but also of anyone else who might also be on the road with you. And that's a really scary thing. I know so many people (after the fact of course, because I would have so called the cops on them. I don't even care how nerdy or lame it makes me look) who have driven after drinking and I can't understand why. The consequences are so severe it's shocking to me that any sane person who even consider it for a second. But then again, they're not in the right frame of mind. But it still surprises me that the next morning they aren't like, "whoa, maybe I shouldn't have done that. I'm gonna be a little more careful next time." Think about it. You could: get in an accident and wreck your car (what a hassle that would be!), get in an accident and really hurt yourself, like paralyzation (and you'd have to deal it for the rest of your life), get in a wreck and kill yourself (and leave a lot of people grieving and pissed off) or get in a wreck and not even hurt yourself at all... but kill someone else (and get to go to jail for manslaughter!). Or you might not even wreck at all and just simply get caught driving. Do you know how horrible a DUI looks? And how expensive they are? It just terrifies me because I know WAY too many people do it. I am thankful that Emmaline's bedtime is so early and we rarely (if ever) have her out on the roads after 7p because this is a college town and I know there are stupid kids out there testing the limits. I hold my breath every night Patrick works late when I know he's leaving the campus until I hear him come in the house too.

Drugs are a completely different story. Stupid. No excuse. No reason. No need. They're illegal, harmful, and dirty. They make people do stupid, gross things. They ruin lives. They ruin families. They ruin economies. They ruin countries. And I really don't think too many people would argue about this. I mean, look at an heroin or meth addict and I don't think you can come up with too many pros for the addiction column. It just sucks. I like to watch the show "Intervention" sometimes (well, when I had cable) and it's insane how these drugs (and alcohol!) take over people's lives. It doesn't matter what's put in front of them - parents, their kids, jobs, homes, their little ol' grannies - they will just keep taking these things that they admit are killing them and they cry saying they want off of. One girl was interviewing on the camera, went into some crack house, had sex with a dealer for drugs, and then came out like it wasn't a big deal. Can you even imagine living like that?

And I'll go ahead and include weed in this too. I know there are a ton of hippies out there who would love to jump all over me and say it's just a plant, it's just like alcohol, it's not the same as cocaine or speed, blah, blah, blah. But the truth is, it is a drug. It does alter your state of mind. You do become addicted (no matter what users say!). And it changes your brain the more you use it. i became convinced that it was a little more dangerous than the hippies would have us believe after talking to someone very close to me who used it for a while. And he was definitely someone I would expect to tell me to chill out, that it wasn't a big deal. But he said that it completely changed him. He lost his motivation. It made him lazy and fat. He didn't want to do anything but lay around and eat. He did get addicted to it. So, I even think pot is dangerous. And I think there are definite liabilities with "legalizing" it. Firstly, I don't see the need. I think it's ridiculous. There's too much evidence that shows it's not healthy. Secondly, are there going to be age limits? Like cigarettes? Thirdly, will they regulate so people won't smoke and drive? How will they tell people aren't smoking a cigarette versus pot? Things to think about...