A few days back, I was silently sitting on the shelf of a bottle shop and waiting for my turn to be picked up by some admirer of mine. I waited for a month or two, and then there came a twenty-year-old in the shop. Desperately, the young man picked me and went to the counter to pay the bill and rushed outside to open me. He was sweating and shivering, and I knew he was craving for me right then. “Stop” shouted the self-control of the boy. “You haven’t touched a bottle for the last 48 hours, then why now you ran away to buy alcohol so urgently?” I chuckled sensing with the perplexity of the war of mind and body to consume me or throw me away. The dilemma inside the boy crushed him entirely as his brain cells wanted alcohol to function, and his body was showing signs of doom. Despite all the effort of giving up drinking, the craving creeps over, and the boy starts engulfing me quickly to calm down his nerves.
Now, he looks drunk from the outside world as I start capturing his brain cells to slow down and affect memory, consciousness, and alertness.
He tried to get up, but he couldn’t, and he aggressively started shouting and then abusing people on the road. Soon after, police intervened and asked him to stand up. This time, I let him stand up and asked him to walk in an unsteady and staggering gait. After all, he needs to go to the police station for his abusive behaviour in a public place. “Why you are so insensitive, Mr Alcohol?” cried the heart. “Why are you wrecking us and please go away ?” pleaded the brain.
The struggle of the boy is nothing unusual for me; I witnessed so many influential people crumbling under my influence. Come and meet me; I am the most powerful and destructive substance popularly known as alcohol.
Did I come into the body by myself? Absolutely no. Who bought me here in the first place. Perhaps, you should enquire why am I been glamorised by adults so much. People around the world hold me in glasses to socialise and to spend some quality time with friends. But why can’t they understand that my nature is addictive? The brain receptor needs me daily in increasing amount to have the same effect because I develop the tolerance. Yes! I don’t start affecting anyone on fist occasion, and mild drinking habit doesn’t bother many. However, the problem began when a person indulges in me excessively. Here it is important to analyse why people start drinking me at an unrestrained level. Is it lack knowledge about my effect on the body, or is it something to do with the community attitude? My destruction nor be dealt with will power alone, neither medical management in isolation can bring the desired changed. To curb the storm created by me needs the systematic effort of person, family and the community. Without incorporating more substantial community portion, I would undoubtedly emerge as a ruler of young generation destruction .
When someone pours me in a glass little did they realised that I could impact their career, family, health and reputation. I may be legally available in the market, but that doesn’t mean that I am harmless. Perhaps, my glossy labels and bright colour create an illusion of being non-toxic. However, let me clarify how sparkling I may emerge from outside, I am addictive to an individual, destructive for the family and catastrophic for a community.
Medvarta 