My father and his father before him were alcoholics. They would spend their money on drinks and drinks. The demon drink not only destroyed their body, but their minds as well. Now, my father has stayed sober for more than 20 years, but my Grandfather took the drink to the ground. I’ve seen the destruction alcohol can cause. It has created so many troubles for my family. That is why I vowed to never drink. Why would I travel the same destructive path that my forbearers took? I thought, “Maybe if the people understand how bad the drink is, then they’ll stop.” That wasn’t the case.
   

In the 1960s, 7 percent of new female drinkers were ages 10 to 14. Today the figure is at 31 percent. How can this happen?  Why are these numbers rising? It’s the mentality young people have in an age where everything is given to them. We crave things and we know that we’ll get them one way or another. Parties and friends are the things that play into the abuse of alcohol. Every party I have gone to, there is drinking. The amount of brain power that is wasted while in an intoxicated state is staggering. Everything that makes me proud to be a human is lost when intoxicated. You aren’t kind, humble, intelligent, or quick witted, you’re loud, savage, or stupid. Yet, this doesn’t stop the people from drinking their stomach away. Once the pain hits them, and they sit in the hospital, waiting for the doctor to come in and tell them they have liver cancer, it’ll be too late.  Even if people know the danger, they still do it.

The issue of drunk driving has gotten better. The total number of fatalities over the years in Connecticut has decreased, My cousin, who is also strangled by the demon drink, was in a car accident while intoxicated. He flew through the windshield  and landed on a cactus. The amount of damage to his body was mind blowing. Half of his body was purple from the bruises. People understand the precautions of driving drunk, but they still do it anyways. While intoxicated, your judgment is impaired, thus driving sounds fine.  The issue is when nobody is there to stop someone from potentially murdering someone. Even though people know the dangers, they still do it.

The main problem for young people is that they don’t know how to control themselves. It’s not the actual drinking that’s bad, its the abuse of the substance that causes major problems later in life. People drink non stop, not knowing that their body is trying it’s hardest to stop the onslaught of alcohol. The liver can only handle so much until it bows to the strength of poor judgment. It’s up to all of us to make a statement in this state where drinking is a sport. We’re the only ones that can stop the abuse of this demon. I’ll play my part, but even though people see the danger, they still do it.

In conclusion, the power of the demon is strong. It’ll always tempt you, but it’s up to us to cut the temptation off. My father has done it. He’s faced the demon drink and beat it. Only if other people had the willpower to stop. Only if they’ve seen the real damage. Hopefully, I’ll soon live in  a world where the people can be trusted to not abuse a substance that will end up causing us all harm. Drinking doesn’t just affect one person, but it affects everything. Once people realize the truth about the demon drink, they’ll understand what I’m trying to say.