Stellar is right in my opinion.
Alcohol can be good and bad for you, depending who gets a hold of it, and how he/she uses it.
There are addictive personalities who start drinking, and can't stop. In a way I'm a bit like that with sugar. Luckily I'm aware that too much will
cause damage to my body, so I eventually regain my senses.
There are people who are very happy and amusing when drunk, and people who get angry and violent when they're drunk. I've had both kinds in the
family. Alcohol is addictive to those with weak willpower. Are they addicted to the substance itself, or to the experience it provides? I don't
know. Lots of people drink because they claim it is fun to do (or because it helps them forget), not because they're getting withdrawl pains as far
as I'm aware. I used to drink coffee all the time. I primarely enjoyed the taste. Getting wired was alright, but not necessary. I switched to decaf.
Then came the headaches. It wasn't a pleasant week-long experience, but I got through it. It is my belief that even caffeine is more addictive than
alcohol.
It all depends on the choices you make, and how much will-power you practice. One of my grandfathers was a very violent drunk, but O.K. (as in 'not
having chased anyone with an axe') when he was sober. I strongly believe (even if he wasn't diagnosed) that he was a mental case to begin with. His
father (my great grandfather) often expressed he was sorry to have given life to such an individual, because he exhibited some symptoms of psychosis
from a young age. Not enough to prevent him from functioning like a normal person, but enough to cause damage when intoxicated/ 'uninhibited'. The
effects of alcohol just amplified his psychosis x 50.
Alcohol, like most substances that alter your perception in some way (including foods such as sugar) will always have a worse effect on those who
ALREADY have a problem. Just look at people addicted to sugar or food. It makes them feel good/comforted, so they basically eat themselves to death.
Should we outlaw sugar or food?
I can drink all I want, (which I don't enjoy doing by the way) and I won't go out and try to kill anyone. I have enough sense not to get into a car
and drive. I become more social and talkative, because alcohol lessens inhibitions. In other words,... if you're the kind of person who works hard at
not punching someone in the face when you're sober, when you're drunk, you'll probably end up punching someone in the end. You basically lose some
of your self control, whether you're the shy person, or the violent person. You let your guard down.
Alcohol is used responsibly by billions of people around the world. It is also misused/abused by millions. You can abuse anything, including cars. A
fast car can give you a rush when you step on the gas. Those who are responsible people will resist driving over 100 mph. Those who have no self
control will step on the gas with no regard as to what might happen. The thrill of speed seems worth the risk to them. I'm one who loves driving
fast, but I realize that the consequences could far outweigh the few minutes of fun I would be having. That's what the track is for, to have fun in a
safer environment.
Just because some jerk decides to go 150mph and kills himself (and usally kills passengers as well as those outside the car) because he couldn't
resist the urge to go fast, does that mean we should outlaw cars? Of course not. This is coming from someone who lost a wonderful family member thanks
to one of these idiots. Street racing kills a lot of young people, and does so a lot faster than alcohol. Maybe educating people on how to be
responsible might help better than getting rid of alcohol completely. After all, you get rid of alcohol, they'll just move on to something else.
People who act irresponsibly with alcohol, usually act irresponsibly in other areas of their lives as well. This is all just based on my opinion. I
could be wrong, but that's the way I look at it at this point.
