Why is alcohol legal?

[stayingsober1dayatatime]

Many countries have banned alcohol at one time or another, the problem is that dosent work, for various reasons.
The thing to do I beleave is in knowledge.
When to recognize a loved one,friend,employee(or employer) is showing signs that they may be predisposed to being an alcoholic.
Only some of us are predisposed to being alcoholic.
We can sometimes see this in the behaviour when a person drinks (if a person has been drinking heavy and gets behind the wheel of an automobile, this is alcoholic behaviour.(alcoholic)
When a person does something under the influence of alcohol that they normaly would not do , this is alcoholic behaviour (alcoholic)
So what I think we must do( AND THIS IS ONLY MY OPINION) is get the knowledge to recognize and intervene with who is acting this way so they can get the help before it get to the point of late stage alcoholism.
In other words we must teach people to not be enabelers (how many times do you hear "its just a phase he/she is going through?". (he/she drinks because he/she has so many things on his/her mind".
When a person seeks and gets help early the prospects of a productive life are very good.
When they do not the havoc they cause to themselves,relationships,family,and inocent people is a disaster of imense proportion.
To sum up, education, and intervention from those close to the sufferer.
We must stop the attitude of "friends dont tell on friends" .
We must tell and tell it to everyone.
Love and hope to all.
John S.

[FallenAngel]

Why is alcohol legal?

Hi John
Wouldn't it be great if we as alcoholics took advice from friends & family early on in our addiction?? lol I think any time people made comments about my drinking made me get defensive & probably drink more "just to show them".
It wasn't until I was ready, and when I saw that it had to come from me... and that I had to make a huge commitment to myself & be prepared to confront & embrace all of what comes with battling an addiction... that I was able to quit drinking.

And making something illegal just makes people want it more, don't you think?? LOL

[savon19]

Why is alcohol legal?

Wow - Fallen Angel - what you say is SO true. I had phone call this morning w/ex-boyfriend who didn't like my drinking... I told him, but I'm Very rebellious, so the more you say I shouldn't drink... the more I want to. (No matter how ridiculous that is...!!!!)

And... oh no - not THAT word: Commitment!!! ACK. I hear that word & want to run the other way, whether with alcohol or anything else.

Why, though? Not sure. Perhaps I wasn't potty-trained the right way or something!

[FallenAngel]

Why is alcohol legal?

savon19;290237 wrote:
And... oh no - not THAT word: Commitment!!! ACK. I hear that word & want to run the other way, whether with alcohol or anything else.

Why, though? Not sure.

I don't know about you, but in my case commitment meant taking on responsibility & dealing with situations like an adult... and that didn't sound like any fun at all! LOL
Also, IMO, commitment shows the world what we believe in.... whether it be a cause, another person or our beliefs.... and is not something we can put aside because of a momentary whim.

[trixietrack]

Why is alcohol legal?

I think early education for children and young adults is the best way to deal with the problem of abuse.

it's usually too late when the person has gotten a taste for the stuff. Telling someone who is having a good

time getting drunk and has never experienced the pain that abuse causes is not going to understand,

and they will just take it as negative criticism.

[KateH1]

Why is alcohol legal?

It is unfortunate, but children really learn more by example than anything else. They even learn from bad examples.

When I was growing up, my mother was a full blown alcoholic, by the time I was 10 years old. At least that is when I realized that she drank a lot and was horrible when she drank. I could not understand why she did this?? She was highly functional during the day, ran a very successful, multiple location business, was very social etc. But at night at home she was a mess! Sloppy, mean, and self pitying....arghhhh!. "I will never be like her!" I would say to myself. This I did for many years.

Low an behold!. In my late 30's, I began the cycle of drinking. Drinking more than I knew I should. In time, drinking and wishing I did not...................so.............here I am at MWO, nearly 60 as a non-drinker and hope that this will last the rest of my life!