I mean, let's be honest, everyone drinks. That college kid that you watched bong three beers in a row, drinks on the days that end in "Y." That woman you saw at the restaurant who ordered a margarita, drinks once or twice a month. The dad at the Cubs game who called the vendor over to get a few beers, drinks a time or two during the week. These people live normal lives and drink just for the hell of it. They don't drink to mask the problems in their lives, but unfortunately, some people do.

Someone I hold near and dear to me wears these rose colored glasses every single day, and let me tell you, it isn't pretty. I'm not here to ridicule people about drinking, because like I said everyone drinks — but I don't want it to get the best of you.

To be completely honest, I don't know how it starts. In my opinion, it's different for every person because some people have self-control... some do not. This person that I mentioned, the one I sincerely care about, doesn't mentally exist like they once did. This is all because of alcohol. They let it get the best of them. They used it, time and time again to cover up the fact that their life was falling apart rather than growing up and fixing it. As much as I miss and would love to tell you about them, I need to warn you — do not fall into the trap.

You see here, the glasses aren't rose colored. Those glasses took my childhood away. Countless nights of listening to people argue. Not having my lunch packed for school. Not having clean clothes or someone to do my hair in the morning. The absence of a parent (or two) for a few days at a time. Learning how to do my own laundry at the age of six years old. Mowing lawns for some extra money so I could buy food for my little brothers and I. Getting excited about having Kool-aid or Doritos in the house because we never had those luxuries — don't do this to your children.

I look at that person I care about now, and I wish I could help them. I give them chance after chance to change, I cry, and I beg. I have used so much time and so much energy to try to help them. I've realized that my life is taking off now and that I cannot sit around waiting for them to change. Moral of the story is, don't drink to take the pain away... because the pain that you are drinking away, is getting put on someone else's shoulders. Someone who shouldn't have to endure it.