The way I see it, alcoholic beverages are to be kept far away from human beings!
Based on the damage that such liquids do to the wonderfully created bodies, that our creator God loaned us, it augers well for us to stay far away from all wines; rum; Guinness; stout; gins; beers (well except for GINGER BEER) and all such fluids that contain ALCOHOL.
Last week I told you that I will repeat my story about that one time that I got drunk and what actually transpired.
It is certainly not a proud moment to rehash, but for the purposes of this class, I am hoping that some youngster of youngsters, or even older ones will heed to my warning to refrain from such liquids.
I was a young, naïve fellow-just barely 18 and it was a Saturday night. I remember quite vividly.
A few of my classmates and other friends had decided to ‘link up’ by the popular ARCADE bar, in the heart of Charlestown.
Now, so that you can get a clearer picture, I was fresh out of Secondary school and just being allowed the privilege of WALKING OUT. Prior to that, our parents kept us under strict restrictions.
Even when we were allowed to go to the Anglican bazaars, we had to be back home before 6 pm or before it got dark and all of us must ‘come back together’ or there were serious punitive measures awaiting us.
So, I was enjoying this new sense of freedom but I was also fully aware that I had a mother who literally would not sleep, until we were all home safe.
I wish there were more parents like that in this era!
And so, on that eventful night, we hooked up at the Arcade. It was about five of us. The other names are not important at this time.
Now, in another life, I was a Calypsonian and had just won the Calypso crown for the Nevis carnival, for the first time.
We ordered some drinks at the bar. I knew what I wanted because my parents had taught us well.
The others ordered beer and hard liquor but I ordered my favourite FANTA orange Bryson.
Not long after that, the popular figure of ZUMBI entered the bar and he came across to congratulate me on my recent win and then exclaimed: ‘Bwoy Kings don’t drink Bryson. Have a beer on me!’
I gently refused but he ordered drinks for all of my group, anyway.
The beer was placed in front of me and I purposed in my heart that I will not drink the thing. However, my ‘friends’ started to pressure me telling me to just take a taste and nothing wrong with a little bit and so on.
Eventually, out of real frustration, I dounced a mouthful of the thing. I immediately wondered how people could imbibe such stuff and look as if they are enjoying it. The thing just aint taste good.
Well I newa!
Of course I took that mouthful to loud applause and while we chatted, I barely sipped at the bottle and in most cases, pretended to sip at the bottle.
Then I devised a plan. I stated loudly, that I was going to the bathroom and I walked away from the group with the bottle in hand. I dumped the remainder of the thing into the little flower garden at the front of the building and paused a while before rejoining them, with the empty bottle of course.
By now my friends were really CHATTY. The alcohol was taking effect and some swear words were being used as well.
ZUMBI came back and said: ‘Another round for the fellas over there!’
I really had not anticipated that one. I again barely sipped at the thing and then decided that I would have no more and just left the bottle on the counter.
Eventually, they decided that it was time to go home.
Now, I recall getting up from the bar stool and heading to the open door ahead and I remember crashing into one of the walls of the building. I knew then that something was radically wrong.
I managed to get outside with the others and this part of the story was what was relayed to me by my ‘friends.’
They said that they went by the side of the road, trying to stop every vehicle that passed by, without any luck and I just went under the overhang of FELT’s business place there and sat there in total silence.
When they shouted at me that I was not helping to get a lift home, they said that I got up and said: ‘See how people catch lift,’ and I went out in the road and tried to flag down the first vehicle heading our way. It just went by.
Then as I saw the next set of lights coming up the road, I boldly stepped out and shouted: “Gingerland!’
They said that when it passed by, I started to cuss about how these stupid people don’t want to give us a lift and the shocking part about it, was that it was a BICYCLE!
Well I newa!
Well, we eventually got a lift and when I finally stumbled my way into the yard, I knew that I did not want my mother to see me in that state. Instead of going upstairs, where she was waiting, I crawled into a room downstairs and as soon as I entered the room, I brought up everything that I had eaten or drunken for the past ten months!
I barely remember my mother asking if I was alright and I think I said that I was okay….
The next morning, having cleaned up the room and feeling a lot better, I found some excuse not to go to church that day—but I was really not feeling well. However, I committed to NEVER EVER again, knowingly imbibing such stuff, in my life.
Thank God, I have kept that vow up to today and reader if you are so minded, I implore you to stop as well.
Let us look at some of the dangers of ALCOHOL:
“Drinking too much – on a single occasion or over time – can take a serious toll on your health. Here’s how alcohol can affect your body:
Brain:
Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways, and can affect the way the brain looks and works. These disruptions can change mood and behavior, and make it harder to think clearly and move with coordination.
Heart:
Drinking a lot over a long time or too much on a single occasion can damage the heart, causing problems including:
- Cardiomyopathy – Stretching and drooping of heart muscle
- Arrhythmias – Irregular heart beat
- Stroke
- High blood pressure
Liver:
Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver, and can lead to a variety of problems and liver inflammations including:
- Steatosis, or fatty liver
- Alcoholic hepatitis
- Fibrosis
- Cirrhosis
Pancreas:
Alcohol causes the pancreas to produce toxic substances that can eventually lead to pancreatitis, a dangerous inflammation and swelling of the blood vessels in the pancreas that prevents proper digestion.
Cancer:
Drinking too much alcohol can increase your risk of developing certain cancers, including cancers of the:
- Mouth
- Esophagus
- Throat
- Liver
- Breast
Immune System:
Drinking too much can weaken your immune system, making your body a much easier target for disease. Chronic drinkers are more liable to contract diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis than people who do not drink too much. Drinking a lot on a single occasion slows your body’s ability to ward off infections – even up to 24 hours after getting drunk.”
Think also of the great number of fatal accidents that have been caused by the drinking of alcoholic beverages.
The bible also states quite clearly: ‘Wine is a mocker; strong drink is raging and whosoever is deceived thereby, is not wise.’
My dear reader, let us be WISE and avoid such destructive habits.
That’s the way I see it. How do you see it?
The Way I See It
The way I see it, alcoholic beverages are to be kept far away from human beings!
Based on the damage that such liquids do to the wonderfully created bodies, that our creator God loaned us, it augers well for us to stay far away from all wines; rum; Guinness; stout; gins; beers (well except for GINGER BEER) and all such fluids that contain ALCOHOL.
Last week I told you that I will repeat my story about that one time that I got drunk and what actually transpired.
It is certainly not a proud moment to rehash, but for the purposes of this class, I am hoping that some youngster of youngsters, or even older ones will heed to my warning to refrain from such liquids.
I was a young, naïve fellow-just barely 18 and it was a Saturday night. I remember quite vividly.
A few of my classmates and other friends had decided to ‘link up’ by the popular ARCADE bar, in the heart of Charlestown.
Now, so that you can get a clearer picture, I was fresh out of Secondary school and just being allowed the privilege of WALKING OUT. Prior to that, our parents kept us under strict restrictions.
Even when we were allowed to go to the Anglican bazaars, we had to be back home before 6 pm or before it got dark and all of us must ‘come back together’ or there were serious punitive measures awaiting us.
So, I was enjoying this new sense of freedom but I was also fully aware that I had a mother who literally would not sleep, until we were all home safe.
I wish there were more parents like that in this era!
And so, on that eventful night, we hooked up at the Arcade. It was about five of us. The other names are not important at this time.
Now, in another life, I was a Calypsonian and had just won the Calypso crown for the Nevis carnival, for the first time.
We ordered some drinks at the bar. I knew what I wanted because my parents had taught us well.
The others ordered beer and hard liquor but I ordered my favourite FANTA orange Bryson.
Not long after that, the popular figure of ZUMBI entered the bar and he came across to congratulate me on my recent win and then exclaimed: ‘Bwoy Kings don’t drink Bryson. Have a beer on me!’
I gently refused but he ordered drinks for all of my group, anyway.
The beer was placed in front of me and I purposed in my heart that I will not drink the thing. However, my ‘friends’ started to pressure me telling me to just take a taste and nothing wrong with a little bit and so on.
Eventually, out of real frustration, I dounced a mouthful of the thing. I immediately wondered how people could imbibe such stuff and look as if they are enjoying it. The thing just aint taste good.
Well I newa!
Of course I took that mouthful to loud applause and while we chatted, I barely sipped at the bottle and in most cases, pretended to sip at the bottle.
Then I devised a plan. I stated loudly, that I was going to the bathroom and I walked away from the group with the bottle in hand. I dumped the remainder of the thing into the little flower garden at the front of the building and paused a while before rejoining them, with the empty bottle of course.
By now my friends were really CHATTY. The alcohol was taking effect and some swear words were being used as well.
ZUMBI came back and said: ‘Another round for the fellas over there!’
I really had not anticipated that one. I again barely sipped at the thing and then decided that I would have no more and just left the bottle on the counter.
Eventually, they decided that it was time to go home.
Now, I recall getting up from the bar stool and heading to the open door ahead and I remember crashing into one of the walls of the building. I knew then that something was radically wrong.
I managed to get outside with the others and this part of the story was what was relayed to me by my ‘friends.’
They said that they went by the side of the road, trying to stop every vehicle that passed by, without any luck and I just went under the overhang of FELT’s business place there and sat there in total silence.
When they shouted at me that I was not helping to get a lift home, they said that I got up and said: ‘See how people catch lift,’ and I went out in the road and tried to flag down the first vehicle heading our way. It just went by.
Then as I saw the next set of lights coming up the road, I boldly stepped out and shouted: “Gingerland!’
They said that when it passed by, I started to cuss about how these stupid people don’t want to give us a lift and the shocking part about it, was that it was a BICYCLE!
Well I newa!
Well, we eventually got a lift and when I finally stumbled my way into the yard, I knew that I did not want my mother to see me in that state. Instead of going upstairs, where she was waiting, I crawled into a room downstairs and as soon as I entered the room, I brought up everything that I had eaten or drunken for the past ten months!
I barely remember my mother asking if I was alright and I think I said that I was okay….
The next morning, having cleaned up the room and feeling a lot better, I found some excuse not to go to church that day—but I was really not feeling well. However, I committed to NEVER EVER again, knowingly imbibing such stuff, in my life.
Thank God, I have kept that vow up to today and reader if you are so minded, I implore you to stop as well.
Let us look at some of the dangers of ALCOHOL:
“Drinking too much – on a single occasion or over time – can take a serious toll on your health. Here’s how alcohol can affect your body:
Brain:
Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways, and can affect the way the brain looks and works. These disruptions can change mood and behavior, and make it harder to think clearly and move with coordination.
Heart:
Drinking a lot over a long time or too much on a single occasion can damage the heart, causing problems including:
Liver:
Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver, and can lead to a variety of problems and liver inflammations including:
Pancreas:
Alcohol causes the pancreas to produce toxic substances that can eventually lead to pancreatitis, a dangerous inflammation and swelling of the blood vessels in the pancreas that prevents proper digestion.
Cancer:
Drinking too much alcohol can increase your risk of developing certain cancers, including cancers of the:
Immune System:
Drinking too much can weaken your immune system, making your body a much easier target for disease. Chronic drinkers are more liable to contract diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis than people who do not drink too much. Drinking a lot on a single occasion slows your body’s ability to ward off infections – even up to 24 hours after getting drunk.”
Think also of the great number of fatal accidents that have been caused by the drinking of alcoholic beverages.
The bible also states quite clearly: ‘Wine is a mocker; strong drink is raging and whosoever is deceived thereby, is not wise.’
My dear reader, let us be WISE and avoid such destructive habits.
That’s the way I see it. How do you see it?