Just ruminating about the joys and perils of alcohol.
There were and are many drinkers in my extended family - Grandfather, uncles, brother, and sister. My parents don't drink a drop. Never did. Neither do I, but I'm not some kind of holier-than-thou anti-drinking advocate. I believe that drinking in moderation is quite acceptable. There are, however, few people that I know who truly drink moderately.

Drinking alcoholic beverages is well know to most cultures on earth... and most suffer the same consequences. Families torn apart by drunkeness and irresponsible behavior, jobs lost, friendships broken. Not to mention innocent people run down by drunken drivers.

And yet, for some reason, there are countless jokes and lighthearted stories involving drunks, that cut across all cultures.

My drinking friends have the following rules governing their drinking conduct:
1) They only drink after hours....hour, after hour, after hour!
2) They only drink on special occasions. Happy Wednesday!
3) They quit drinking when they can no longer count to zero! and
4) They only drink when they are alone or with someone!

Very droll!
There are actual places in Canada where 80% of discretionary income goes towards alcohol consumption. Like Newfoundland in Canada's far east. I knew one Newfoundlander who took a vacation to Florida one year and never left his hotel room for two weeks. He landed at the airport, booked into his hotel, went to a corner store that sold packaged goods (what alcoholic beverages are called in some places), bought $250 worth of mixed drinks and beer and stayed in his room for the entire vacation. He never went out, never went to the beach, never even went to the hotel bar. Just stayed in his room, watched TV and drank. I asked him what the point was of going all the way to Florida to engage in such activity. He said it was nice to get away from home! Amazing! He has since passed away. The following Newfie joke sums it up best.

This Newfoundlander was stranded on a desert island for years. Walking along the beach one day he happened to kick over a bottle buried in the sand. When he brushed the sand off the bottle a Genie appeared and said that he would grant him any three wishes his heart desired.
The Newf looked at the bottle that the Genie came out of and, picking it up, said "I wish that this bottle was filled with Old Sam rum and that it would never run dry!"

"Done!" replied the Genie, and the bottle was instantly filled to the brim with rum. "My God a'night" said the Newfie taking a big pull on the bottle. The bottle instantly refilled itself. "Lord Tunderin'" said the Newfie taking another long drink. "Wonderful grand" he shouted taking another swallow.

"Hello?!" said the Genie. "Is anybody home?"
"What do you mean?" replied the Newfie.
"What I mean is you have two more wishes left. Get on with it will you?"
"Alright" replied the Newfie. "Gimme two more bottles the same as the first one!"

If that doesn't say it all, nothing does.

Where this blog is about health and well-being I will sum up my feelings on the entire matter of alcohol by saying that, in general terms, it is very bad for you. Only because it so often leads to excess. Excessive drinking damages your body inside and out. It addles your thinking processes, impairs your judgement, and slows your reflexes. Over time it kills brain cells, damages the liver, and clearly and visibly ages the user.

Every day across North America and the world many innocent people are killed and maimed by drunk drivers. Many countries now consider drunken driving as an assault with a deadly weapon. Leave alcohol alone and you will be better off for it.

Be well!