Alcohol: Menace To Society

Alcohol: Menace To Society by Randolph Jason for The Recovered Word

The Alcohol-Related Disease Impact application estimates that each year there are more than 178,000 death (approximately 120,000 male deaths and 59,000 female deaths) attributable to excessive alcohol use, making alcohol one of the leading preventable causes of death in the United States, behind tobacco, poor diet and physical inactivity, and illegal drugs. ~ Source

What is the absolute best tool for distracting people from the truth? Show them, tell them what you want them to see and hear. “We have an opioid crisis in the United States” blares from every radio and every television across the country. People really should stop listening to such lies.

According the CDC there were a total of 108,318 opioid deaths in the U.S. in 2023. While all these deaths are tragic and the loss of life is staggering, it does not take away from what the real problem is. The real problem is in the grocery store, down at the corner liquor store, the package store and the beer warehouse. All these easily accessible, legal means to acquire as much booze as a person wishes is the menace to society.

For us, material well-being always followed spiritual progress; it never preceded. ~ Source – Page 127 Alcoholics Anonymous

People can no longer see nor think for themselves. When will the trained lapdogs begin to breakaway from their owner? Furthermore, when will people begin doing for themselves instead of allowing others to manage their lives?

Truth vs Lies

The TV spouts out numbers and everyone nods in agreement and accepts whatever lies tickle their ears. Change is not hard, but it requires effort. The truth is the only thing that matters. Until the truth is as clear as fresh water lies will continue to lead the way.

Life is designed in such a way that helping others should always be front and center. The sad part is, it doesn’t. Likewise, we give ourselves away to another person, helping them in a time of need, our whole life changes. Transformation begins at the moment when a hand is extended, a kind word shared or a piece of bread is broken and given away.

Giving, rather than getting, will become the guiding principle. ~ Alcoholics Anonymous / Page 128

Alcohol has become so acceptable that having a person drunk at a dinner party is no big deal. If a person walked into your dinner party, sat down on the sofa and pulled out a needle, spoon and some drugs… Well, what would happen is people would freak out. What about a crack pipe? Let someone pass out and listen for the silence. Explain the difference in a way that a child understand it, otherwise, there is no difference. Societal rules are the difference. This is acceptable but that is not.

Treatment

There are millions and millions of tax payer dollars available to help with the “opioid crisis”. In comparison, there is almost zero public dollars for the treatment of alcohol. Sure a person dealing with alcoholism can get help with tax payer funds, but what about building a new treatment center? What about faith based treatment?

When the state decides who lives and who dies the state has an agenda. When the citizenry decides who receives help, treatment and what that help looks like lives are transformed.

Above all, the landscape of the view of drugs needs a wakeup call. Opioids are a serious problem and that problem is going to continue to grow. Alcohol has been problem for thousands of years and the problem is still growing. The only question remaining is, what’s next in the landscape of the treatment of alcohol and alcohol related illnesses?

Will having public “safe places” for people to shoot-up drugs help eliminate the problem of opioid addiction or, like the tavern on the corner, simply expose the real impact on society?