About Alcohol…

 

 

Yesterday I have seen an article circulating on Twitter and Facebook, written in a newspaper by a Swedish politician.

He mainly wrote about one Swedish TV-station that he thought gave too much focus on alcohol during the morning shows at Christmas time. He asked of them not to do that  because New Years Eve is approaching. Of course it is tonight.

 

It was a really good article if you ask me.

He did two things that I appreciated.

Firstly, he raised his voice for the sake of the children who hurt so much because they are around drunk grown-ups.

And secondly, he claimed that the argument that the use of alcohol is ok as it’s only some people who become addicted to alcohol, most people can handle alcohol just fine, is not true.

He said that’s nonsense.  Instead he advocated the better argument that no use at all means no risk at all of getting caught into an addiction.

That makes a lot of sense to me.

 

As a future Salvation Army officer (and not only because of that of course), I applaud his article because of these two things.

 

But I also felt quite upset, that me myself haven’t raised my voice about this matter. That’s a bit upsetting. I have been way too quiet.

As a soon-to-be Salvation Army Officer I should be screaming on the streets about this on a day like this.

We should stand outside the liquor-stores advocating for the children, for the persons with alcoholic abuse, for the persons at risk, advocating for that other option – drinking nothing at all.

 

I haven’t been outside any liquor store today unfortunately.

I haven’t raised my voice in this matter at all really.

So I thought, after reading this good article it’s time to do something.

It’s late, but it’s still me raising my voice.

 

Today is New Years Eve, and there will be loads of alcohol floating around, making consequences for the next day after.

There will be so many children that will have ache in their stomach tonight because mommy and daddy are different and abuse alcohol.

Children that will hear grown-ups fight, act stupid, be mistreated badly and be worried when daddy stands drunk with all the fireworks trying to sort it out…

 

Children feel, understand and know so much more then we think.

They hurt from alcohol.

I promise there’s not one child that chooses mommy or daddy to drink alcohol if they could decide.

They don’t feel safe around alcohol.

 

There are also so many people who are in a alcoholic abuse, or are at risk to becoming so.

Young people, also at risk of addiction, who think the only ordinary way to celebrate New Years Eve is to drink way too much. We support that when we as adults play along in that game.

 

I KNOW that there are so many young people who don’t want to drink, but they feel they are supposed to, and it’s almost not social accepted not to do so.

That’s wrong, and upsetting.

 

This world is sometimes twisted around alcohol in a very dangerous way, leaving so many bad consequences in this world and I am so sad and embarrassed so many of us do not have the guts to raise our voice and say: Enough!

 

It’s not to be morally perfect, I haven’t been perfect in my life, it’s not about deciding how people should or should not live their lives.

But there are consequences to our actions and sometimes we need to be reminded about them.

And not one glass of wine, beer or drink could possibly be worth it if it ends up in addiction, fighting, cheating, accidents or, what I care for the absolute most right now, crying and scared children.

There will be too many of those tonight.

It’s not worth it. /Fanny