Overconsumption Of Alcohol Destroys Lives

People never expect common activities to turn into tragedies. 

My family and I certainly didn’t expect my father, Jimmy, to end up hospitalized because of his alcohol intake. Unfortunately, after a month of fighting, he passed away on Aug. 23—the first day of my college career.

On the morning of July 21, we rushed my dad to the emergency room after his health deteriorated due to many years of alcohol abuse. 

A month earlier he had been unable to attend my high school graduation from the Robert Morgan Educational Center because he was too drunk. 

Even though we were aware of his lifelong struggle with alcohol, we didn’t expect his poor drinking habits to cause so much damage to his health.

He started as a “social drinker.” Given how normalized alcohol consumption is, no one in the family cared too much. 

But the drinking kept increasing. It went from social settings to a daily drink before bed to “relax” his body. Then he started binging, which ultimately affected his routine. 

My father always claimed that he had his drinking under control when in reality the alcohol was slowly devouring him. 

According to the World Health Organization, three million people die annually from alcohol abuse. 

Alcohol itself is not entirely bad, but it should be taken in moderation. For example, red wine is associated with better aging when consumed in moderation. 

The sad reality is that most people jump over the fine line and start excessively drinking.

Alcohol affects the cells that remove scar tissue and then the liver is unable to regenerate. That leads to an illness called cirrhosis that can only be solved by getting a liver transplant.

Not to mention the various psychological problems that those that drink in excessive amounts can have.

My father didn’t think he was going too far, but he had lost control of himself. 

Be informed, pay attention to the signs. Happiness doesn’t rely on a drink of alcohol.

It’s important for us to try to save the lives of our friends and family that may be experiencing sadness caused by alcoholism. 

Please take time out of your day to spend time with your loved ones. Life can take an unexpected turn when you least expect it. And more often than not, we regret the things we did not do and say, rather than those we did.