If I were to walk down the street and ask five random people, “What’s your opinion on alcohol,” I guarantee at least three out of the five would admit that they think alcohol is marvelous. But, did you know that alcohol is a drug and a depressant? I’m sure you do, but what if you’ve had a few beers? Would you still remember that? Over all, alcohol is a liver killing, memory and brain destroying, bitter train wreck.

If alcohol is as great as people make it out to be, why are there approximately 88,000 deaths and 2.5 million years of life expectancy lost each year in the United States alone (Facts Sheets)? Sure, I get that alcohol is very useful to forget what’s wanted to be obliterated, but it’s not efficient in the correct way. There’s absolutely nothing beneficial about it, and it shouldn’t be portrayed as “God’s gift from Heaven”.

Alcohol is extremely dangerous, first of all. There’s a reason why the legal drinking age is twenty-one in the United States. We [humans] aren’t done growing and developing in the brain until we’re in our twenties. Letting a sixteen year old drink alcohol is like giving a beer to a two year old. Underage drinking can cause impaired learning skills due to damaged dendrites, which results in problems conveying messages between the neurons, mostly in the frontal lobe (Freeman). What I just said wasn’t completely true, however. This doesn’t only happen to underage drinkers. It can happen to anybody no matter the age, it is just intensified for younger drinkers. This drug additionally reduces the size of the brain; it goes straight to the bloodstream once consumed, which effects every system in the body (Drinking Facts). Alcohol is also very dangerous just within an intoxicated persons’ actions. Twenty-eight people die every single day from drunk driving in the United States (MADD). Drunk driving deaths are caused from dizziness, anger, distractions, etc. And some of these deaths are innocent, sober people on the road getting in car crashes with the drunk drivers. Everybody knows that it’s illegal to drive under the influence, yet, plenty of people still do it. It should just be a common   thought to the drinker, “whoa, I’m pretty tipsy, maybe I shouldn’t drive tonight”. I understand that the intoxicated person doesn’t automatically get that (huh, probably from the alcohol consumption), but they should always bring a designated driver with them if they’re planning on going out that night and drinking.

Do you remember when I mentioned alcohol as a depressant? If you don’t know what it means, it is a drug that intensifies and makes depression worse (Drinking Facts). So when someone devours, for example, four beers every other day, it really isn’t improving their health. Guess how many drinks have to be drunken until it’s considered “heavy drinking”. Eight a week for women, fifteen a week for men (Drinking Facts). Now imagine a depressed woman drinking sixteen drinks a week.

Alcohol doesn’t just effect the brain. Long-term effects of the body from drinking also include high blood pressure, heart disease, possible strokes or seizures, liver disease, and digestive problems (Drinking Facts). It’s pretty obvious that alcohol content eats away the body. One can of beer contains 153 calories, 14mg of sodium, 96.12mg of potassium, 12.6g of carbohydrates, and 1.6g of protein (Calories). So if an addicted alcoholic drinks nothing but vodka all day, they’re obviously not getting any nutrition. Just a bunch of deathly liquid.

I really don’t see the phenomena of alcohol, but I understand why it exists. There’s plenty of casual conversations, movies/television shows, and songs about it. The most popular conversation I can conceive is “partying in college”. I’ve heard many times before that someone can’t wait to party and drink, or that someone had a blast from partying so hard. It worries me even more if that person knows about the dangers of the substance. Alcohol is also a very big element in music. I’m constantly hearing overrated pop songs on the radio all about alcohol, sex, and drugs. Most people don’t actually realize what the songs are about, but if they sat down and listened to the lyrics, it’s amazing what artists can get away with. Certain movies too, have infinite scenes of somone(s) drinking until they’re hunched over the toilet exposing their stomachs. Yet, they’re “great movies” and “award winning”. I bet at least one movie that had alcohol involved, popped into your head, huh? Alcohol is so a part of our daily lives and social confrontations, it’s essentially forgotten that it’s a drug that kills.
Basically, I think alcohol is overrated, foolish, and hazardous. Life would be so much better, and healthier, if everybody didn’t have to revolve their lives around the drug. I understand “drinking in moderation” is okay to certain people, but that still doesn’t make the drink any less harmful. The risks are just as high, no matter how much you drink. Honestly, I would rather drink a cup of apple juice than have a Budweiser.

If anyone ever offers me a drink or asks why I won’t drink, I’ll just walk away silently without answering.
And I hope you do too.