By: Curtis Morton
The way I see it, people should steer clear of alcoholic beverages.
Just last night, I watched a man step from a bus and head towards his village. As I watched, my heart was sad as I watched him stumble across the road, obviously STONE drunk.
I wondered to myself if he would make it home safely because I know that he lived quite a distance into the village.
Somehow though, it appears that people like these eventually reach home and then they get sober and then they go back to the bottle again and the repeat effect takes place.
These alcoholic beverages seem to be so well loved by those who imbibe them that they seem to forget what the end result would be like and they normally end up in some embarrassing positions.
I remember one time seeing a ‘distinguished’ son of the soil who was absolutely intoxicated, standing up close to a public road, hands hooked around an electric pole, with his face bleeding, as if he had pounded his head into it.
I passed him, went into town, conducted some business and returned after about an hour and he was still there, with his hands locked around the pole. He was a sorry sight.
Well I newa!
Another time, I saw another intoxicated individual, trying to climb into a window of his house and failing in every attempt and falling constantly. He seemed to have absolutely forgotten that he could have tried the door!
A friend of mine also told me of an experience he had when he saw a drunk trying to find the little road that led to his house and just kept trying to go through a stone wall. Even after hitting into the stones on a regular basis, he just continued doing it without thinking about changing his course.
I did a little research on how ALCOHOL consumption affects the body and my findings were as follows:
“Alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream via small blood vessels in the walls of the stomach and small intestine. Within minutes of drinking alcohol, it travels from the stomach to the brain, where it quickly produces its effects, slowing the action of nerve cells.
Approximately 20% of alcohol is absorbed through the stomach. Most of the remaining 80% is absorbed through the small intestine.
Alcohol is also carried by the bloodstream to the liver, which eliminates the alcohol from the blood through a process called “metabolizing,” where it is converted to a nontoxic substance. The liver can only metabolize a certain amount at a time, leaving the excess circulating throughout the body. Thus the intensity of the effect on the body is directly related to the amount consumed.
When the amount of alcohol in the blood exceeds a certain level, the respiratory (breathing) system slows down markedly, and can cause a coma or death, because oxygen no longer reaches the brain.”
So, small wonder people do some really strange things when they are ‘under the influence.’
I remember a guy trying to show off how he can walk on the wall Ridge of Bowrin Bridge in Gingerland. Of course you know how the story ended. He landed inside of Bowrin bridge Ghaut. Fortunately he survived with a few broken bones and a bruised ego.
I remember SUGAR (now deceased) walking across a limb of a mango tree to pick two ‘gooly’ mangoes which only he was seeing. He fell from that height and broke both of his hands and nobody ever saw the two mangoes.
Well I newa!
I also remember a story told to me by a lady who is a Christian. It was Christmas time and her neighbour invited her over for dinner. She accepted and partook of the many delicacies and refused the offer to drink anything alcoholic. However, prior to becoming a Christian, she used to love to drink PUNCHECUBA. Well there was a bottle on the table and she said the whole night the thing was just calling her. Eventually, she took a drink, then two, then three……. She went home stone drunk. Fortunately she was able to sleep it off and ask God for forgiveness.
So it is my stated opinion that it is best for our health and our sanity that we stay away from anything alcoholic. I know that I have lost a few friends in the process but that’s the way I see it.
How do you see it?