How Drinking Ruins Lives

We all recognize that college life should be fun, as well as serious since it is an educational opportunity for your future.  One of the issues we see among our youth and college students is that of drinking. 

Although going out on a week-end night, or going to a party, drinking has its consequences.

Studies show that almost 2000 college students die every year due to alcohol related accidents.

40 percent or more designated drivers who get behind the wheel have been found to have alcohol in their system when vehicular accidents have occurred. 

We often hear of date rapes.  Most of these occur when alcohol is involved. 

Information About Drinking Among College Students

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/CollegeFactSheet/CollegeFactSheet.pdf

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2015/01/15/the-often-repeated-claim-that-1800-college-students-die-from-alcohol-related-causes/

http://report.nih.gov/nihfactsheets/ViewFactSheet.aspx?csid=24

College students not only study, and party with their friends, they often have girlfriends as well.   A couple of guys may be dating the same girl, or they may simply be competing for her attention.  There are multiple scenarios when it involves male and female college students who also want a social life.  When alcohol is involved, the cost could be your life.

There are so many misconceptions such as drinking beer is better than drinking liquor.  This is a myth!!!  Alcohol is alcohol.

Alcohol Toxicity

Those who are in groups that are drinking often hold chugging contests. The end results can be one or more deaths due to alcohol toxicity.

Friends, roomies have been known to find their friend, roomie, fellow college student passed out. They walk away thinking their friend has gotten bombed out of their mind and is sleeping it off.  The reality can be that your friend is slowly dying, not sleeping it off, due to alcohol toxicity.

So you think alcohol does not affect you. 

Find out the effects of alcohol. 

http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/alcohols-effects-body

I Drive Better Drunk

 In most states there are strict laws about drinking and driving.  Not only can you end up with a suspended license, you can be charged with vehicular homicide if someone dies as a result of your drinking and driving. You can face a long prison sentence.  You can lose your driving privileges permanently.   Of course, there are the monetary costs that you face as well. 

Costs of drinking and driving

If you think that you drive better drunk, you are allowing alcohol to cloud your judgment.  If you believe this, think about the deaths every year that are caused by a drunk driver.  Remember, you could be the next victim, as could anyone in a vehicle with you.

http://www.madd.org/laws/law-overview/Vehicular_Homicide_Overview.pdf

https://well.wvu.edu/articles/the_high_cost_of_drinking_and_driving

http://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/crime-penalties/federal/Vehicular-manslaughter.htm

I have a brother, who is beyond the age of the typical college student.  He started drinking in his teens because it was fun. Today, he is an alcoholic.   Yes, he also believed that he was different, he would never be an alcoholic, he was in control.  Well, in July 2015, my brother, lost his control while under the influence and almost lost his life.

There was a female involved.  He and another guy were apparently fighting over this female. My brother got into a scuffle with a man one-half of his age.  The accused, Yes, I said accused, beat my brother until he could not fight back, and continued to beat him.  Oh, your friends would step in and help you!!!!   I wonder if my brother thought that???  Those who witnessed this, stood by, watched my brother be beaten to a pulp and did nothing!!  Finally someone called the police.

The officer that arrived on the scene, knew my brother, yet was unable to identify him, due to the severity of the beating.  My brother was taken to the local hospital and then life-flighted to a trauma center, where he remains 16 days later, not even close to being discharged.

He spent approximately two weeks on life-support, a ventilator that did his breathing for him.  He has rib fractures, a collapsed lung.  I was told that his lung had been punctured. His face has multiple facial fractures to the extent of being unrecognizable by those who knew him and saw him after this incident.

Today, he continues to have a trach in with a speaking valve so that he can talk.  It has been reported that his speech is understandable at times, while at other times it is garbled and even when it is clear, what he says is nonsensical as one who is confused speaks.

He has been living alone.  He may never be able to live alone again. He surely will need rehab before any decisions about his living arrangements can be decided.   All because of alcohol, he may end up in a nursing home.

It is not cool to drink!  Those who don’t drink are not party poopers, nerds, or any other name thrown at them. Non-drinkers are the smart ones.

My brother, when drinking, thought he was King Kong too!  Yes, he thought the little guy, someone shorter than him, maybe smaller, even bigger than him could never get the best of him.  This time, he found out differently.

Alcohol does not only cost lives, it ruins lives.  You can go to college, go out with friends, have parties, have fun without drinking being a part of it.

It has been almost a year now.

My brother told the judge, " I Will Never Be The Same Again."

He is able to live alone, but of course his memory  has been affected, etc.  However, I must add that he, himself, also has a long history of drinking heavily.

Alcohol  affects the brain, plain and simple. 

What Happened To The Assaulter!

The prosecutor ended up plea bargaining with this guy.  He essentially went from what should have been felony charges, down to misdemeanors.

Instead of spending up to 20 years behind bars, at most, he will spend 2 years.

Sentence: 9 mos to 2 years for almost killing someone, fracturing ribs, puncturing lungs, breaking facial bones which required surgery, mechanical life support needed. 

If it had not been for a plea bargain, the judge would have sent him away for a long time.

The only safe drinking is that of abstaining from alcoholic beverages.

Here are some examples:

Water

Water mixed with Grape Juice

Plain Fruit Juice

Grape juice and Ginger ale or 7 up

Coke/Pepsi with lemon or lime slices

Punch made from Orange sherbet and ginger ale

Iced Tea (brewed kind) with orange slice