9 Days
Well, I mentioned earlier that I was going to post my thoughts on my upcoming birthday. Why you ask? As some of you may remember (or not, that's fine) I am turning 19. The big 1-9. The day when I can legally become a chain smoker and an alcoholic. Whoohoo! *note sarcasm. A couple of you posted awhile back about drinking and Christianity and the such. I don't believe I ever contributed to the conversation/debate, and since I'm going to be 19 in 9 days (hence the title), I figured I'd tell you firsthand my thoughts on that and why I came to my decision.
First of all, no I'm not going to smoke. That's like sticking a sign on my forehead that says, "Cancer welcome here!". My parents were both very big smokers up until about 30ish and I've learned from them that it's a waste of money (especially since it's up to like 8-9 dollars a pack....talk about an expensive way to kill yourself!) and it's definitely not worth the health risks and the horror of trying to quit if you ever wanted to. [Trust me, it wasn't fun when my parents quit ;)] Anyways, so don't worry about that.
About the drinking. Now this is a big one. Maybe none of you will be surprised to hear this, and maybe you will; knowing my parents and what they think of drinking, it's not surprising to me. But personally, I have no problem with drinking. It's not as simple as that though. I wouldn't go out and get plastered or anything like that because I think that is fairly irresponsible on my part, especially being a girl since so many guys nowadays are, well, jerks. I've heard too many stories from friends about how guys would be extremely forward with them, to say the least, at the club. Therefore, if I ever went to a bar or something, I don't think I would go without a trusted male escort (i.e. my boyfriend) because I think it's a good protection.
My parents don't have any problem with drinking repsonsibly (like I said before, not getting drunk or something) and I also share that value. They drink beer and wine and stuff around the house and it's very casual. I grew up with beer in the house, in fact, there's a 12 pack downstairs, so it's nothing new to me. I already told my parents that I'm going to drink, but I also let them know that I'm not stupid either. For instance, I have my G2 which means that I cannot drive under any circumstance with a blood alcohol level higher than 0. And I never would. "I'm fine to drive" will never EVER come out of my mouth unless I haven't had anything to drink because that would probably be the stupidest thing I could ever do. My friend crashed his car in high school because he was drunk and I was furious with him for making such a STUPID decision. He's lucky no one was hurt, except for the tree he hit.
Many of you have your reasons for not drinking and you know what? I'm very respectful of that because it's hard to do in this day and age and I'm very proud that you guys have stuck with your decision and stood up for yourselves. I am not going to drink to conform to the rest of the world, which is, I guess, what I am doing. It's just that personally, I don't see a problem with responsible drinking. There have been alcoholics in my family in the past, but I don't fear that happening to me because I truly believe that I'm responsible enough to control the amount I consume and my behaviour. One of my friends told me that on my 19th birthday I have to drink so much that I puke. Why? I can't even comprehend the reason for trying to throw up! I don't like the fact that if I drink too much, I'm not in control. If you all know me really well, you'll know that I can be very controlling (just ask my dad about the TV remote!) and to let something control me in that way is completely out of character.
I also don't think drinking is against the Bible or anything like that. Like some people have stated, Jesus turned water into wine and the such. But I don't think that Jesus was out back getting drunk with the 12 disciples! Therefore, I believe it's all about responsibility.
I hope that my thoughts are clear, and if not, feel free to state your opinion or to ask questions and stuff because if I can't argue my side, then obviously I'm not completely sure on why I have made this decision.
First of all, no I'm not going to smoke. That's like sticking a sign on my forehead that says, "Cancer welcome here!". My parents were both very big smokers up until about 30ish and I've learned from them that it's a waste of money (especially since it's up to like 8-9 dollars a pack....talk about an expensive way to kill yourself!) and it's definitely not worth the health risks and the horror of trying to quit if you ever wanted to. [Trust me, it wasn't fun when my parents quit ;)] Anyways, so don't worry about that.
About the drinking. Now this is a big one. Maybe none of you will be surprised to hear this, and maybe you will; knowing my parents and what they think of drinking, it's not surprising to me. But personally, I have no problem with drinking. It's not as simple as that though. I wouldn't go out and get plastered or anything like that because I think that is fairly irresponsible on my part, especially being a girl since so many guys nowadays are, well, jerks. I've heard too many stories from friends about how guys would be extremely forward with them, to say the least, at the club. Therefore, if I ever went to a bar or something, I don't think I would go without a trusted male escort (i.e. my boyfriend) because I think it's a good protection.
My parents don't have any problem with drinking repsonsibly (like I said before, not getting drunk or something) and I also share that value. They drink beer and wine and stuff around the house and it's very casual. I grew up with beer in the house, in fact, there's a 12 pack downstairs, so it's nothing new to me. I already told my parents that I'm going to drink, but I also let them know that I'm not stupid either. For instance, I have my G2 which means that I cannot drive under any circumstance with a blood alcohol level higher than 0. And I never would. "I'm fine to drive" will never EVER come out of my mouth unless I haven't had anything to drink because that would probably be the stupidest thing I could ever do. My friend crashed his car in high school because he was drunk and I was furious with him for making such a STUPID decision. He's lucky no one was hurt, except for the tree he hit.
Many of you have your reasons for not drinking and you know what? I'm very respectful of that because it's hard to do in this day and age and I'm very proud that you guys have stuck with your decision and stood up for yourselves. I am not going to drink to conform to the rest of the world, which is, I guess, what I am doing. It's just that personally, I don't see a problem with responsible drinking. There have been alcoholics in my family in the past, but I don't fear that happening to me because I truly believe that I'm responsible enough to control the amount I consume and my behaviour. One of my friends told me that on my 19th birthday I have to drink so much that I puke. Why? I can't even comprehend the reason for trying to throw up! I don't like the fact that if I drink too much, I'm not in control. If you all know me really well, you'll know that I can be very controlling (just ask my dad about the TV remote!) and to let something control me in that way is completely out of character.
I also don't think drinking is against the Bible or anything like that. Like some people have stated, Jesus turned water into wine and the such. But I don't think that Jesus was out back getting drunk with the 12 disciples! Therefore, I believe it's all about responsibility.
I hope that my thoughts are clear, and if not, feel free to state your opinion or to ask questions and stuff because if I can't argue my side, then obviously I'm not completely sure on why I have made this decision.
11 Comments:
At 3:04 p.m.,
Jamie A. Grant said…
*polite clapping*
At 5:27 p.m.,
Elyse said…
Okay...here are my personal thoughts.
In my opinion, responsible drinking is fine. A glass of wine with supper or whatever doesn't bother me and I don't think it's wrong.
However for me personally, I know I'm going to steer clear of it. My family seems to be prone to getting in over their heads in regards to alcohol and I don't want to end up like them.
So yeah. Those are my thoughts.
At 3:02 p.m.,
Abe said…
I support you, in fact, in 9 or so days I imagine Melissa and I would be happy to buy you a drink ;)
I'm very glad you've thought this out ahead of time though, it's when you just play it by ear that things go horribly wrong (speaking from experience)...or when you make decisions that sound good but you don't really believe (ie. saying you won't drink to your Christian friends but getting hammed with school friends).
Cheers
At 12:50 p.m.,
Aleah said…
And I would be happy to accept a drink from you guys! ;)
Elyse, I understand your fear, well maybe fear is the wrong word...concern maybe...but anyways, I know what you're saying and I have the same problem in my family. My dad's cousin died from alcoholism, but that was because HE chose to drink that much, but that doesn't mean that I will end up like him. I still think it's all about personal self-control and responsibility. But if that's your reason, I'm cool with that!
At 7:43 a.m.,
Elyse said…
It's not a fear...most definitely not. It's more of a concern (like you said) or maybe a cautiousness. *Shrugs* I agree, but I still think that being prone to alcoholism can be genetic....so when 'm 19 :P I'm gonna be careful if nothing else.
At 12:09 p.m.,
Jamie A. Grant said…
For the record, I don't think drinking alcohol is wrong if done responsibly but I do not do it and I discourage others from doing it.
When I was asked the question "Do you drink alcohol?" during my interview for Big Brothers, I started to give a long-winded explanation like the above to clarify that I didn't dis other people for drinking. They cut me off and summed up, "So, no alcohol then." I thought it was funny - sometimes I get a little too serious about simple questions.
As for the question of generational alcoholism, I believe that it's more than personal choice and more than genetics, though it involves both.
The spiritual effects of alcoholism can have a definite impact on later generations. I believe that freedom in Christ is key to breaking something like this, not "just" a strong will.
At 4:47 p.m.,
Abe said…
I'm definitely not sure about the genetic argument, I think it's more nurture than nature. I also struggle with intergenerational curses...probably cause some of my family history is so messed up, so it's somewhere I don't even want to go. The reason I support you (Aleah) in particular is because I know your character, and have no concerns. For many others I would discourage it.
At 6:02 p.m.,
Aleah said…
Jamie, if you don't think drinking alcohol is wrong, then why do you discourage OTHERS from doing it? I mean, who do you think isn't wrong for drinking it? I hope that makes sense.
And thanks, Abe. It really means a lot because I believe that I'm responsible and it's nice to know others do too.
At 8:21 a.m.,
Jamie A. Grant said…
I'll try to clarify, Aleah. When I have kids of my own, I will probably discourage them from drinking, discussing the issue accordingly.
Perhaps it's like something out of "The Patriot with Mel Gibson. "I cannot fight, therefore I cannot ask another to fight." I prefer not to drink, therefore I will not encourage another to drink.
Aleah, thanks for writing openly. Maybe I should have stuck with "polite clapping" as my response, eh? Heh.
Abe, I'll defer to you on the genetics argument for alcoholism. I should have written that it 'may' be a factor. Thanks for being candid about the 'generational curse' thing.
At 8:49 a.m.,
Aleah said…
No, no, no! Not at all! I'm glad you commented on it. I just wasn't understanding what you were meaning, and now that you clarified it, I do. So thank you all for your comments, it's much appreciated!
At 9:39 a.m.,
Abe said…
I miss your posts.
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