My Frequently Heard Speech
One more time with feeling
by Katie Beller
Don't get me wrong, I'm all about having a good time, and I do...Sober! So here's my frequently heard speech on the dangers of alcohol abuse, hopefully in time to discourage the drinking which is so often a trend of the holiday season.
I can understand someone drinking because they think it tastes good, a sip here, a sip there, sipping for the taste, not for the feel. Recent MADD statistics show that 90 percent of high school seniors and 66 percent of eighth graders have at least tried alcohol, and 53 percent drink once a month. I know they aren't drinking because it's yummy! I personally find it irresponsible and downright nasty to abuse alcohol, using it for the sole purpose of "getting trashed."
The worst, but all too commonly heard words of a drinker are, "but I was drunk, I didn't know." It's especially disgusting to me that people use being intoxicated as an excuse to finally let back, or to act like an idiot.
What really baffles me is, despite the numerous dangers of alcohol, how it is still so appealing to some. In a recent study there were 2.6 million teens who didn't know a person could die from an alcohol overdose. It IS a drug, and too much IS fatal. The real shock to me is that people actually think they can handle a vehicle when they're drunk. It seems that any statistic can be thrown in their face and until something happens to them, they won't believe it. Despite the fact that in 1998 of all traffic deaths 38.4 percent of them were alcohol related; or that eight young people die every day due to alcohol related accidents, people will still drink and drive.
I hate to preach and I hope it doesn't sound like I think I'm angelic because I've made the decisions I have for myself, I just want to share what I believe. It's so pitiful to me that people THINK they have to drink because they THINK it's cool. I'm cool, I have friends, I refuse to drink, it's that simple. In fact I receive a lot of respect for not drinking, and tons of gratitude for those 3 a.m. "Can you pick me up? I'm drunk" phone calls.
Not drinking is a part of who I am. At times, while I sit with my Pepsi, I try to envision myself as one of the people stumbling and slobbering all over. That's when I thank my dad for asking me to promise him I wouldn't drink in high school. It's the best promise I've ever made.
I'm often asked if it's hard, or if I feel as if I'm missing out by not drinking. Missing out on what? Risking my life?
Alcohol's effect on a person's reaction time could mean taking a split second too long in a fatal situation. Or am I missing out on risking my future? A MIP isn't very well respected by universities or employers last time I checked. But the first risk that comes to mind is my dignity. I see no logic in giving the control I have over my body and actions to anything, especially a substance like alcohol. It seems to me that people are sometimes trying to prove something by drinking. I'm just trying to prove something by not.
That's the speech, take it or leave it! Not drinking is the best thing I can do for myself, and the people who love me. The supposed fun of drinking doesn't, in my mind, weigh up to the dangers at hand.