Alcohol is everywhere. It's advertised on billboards, in song lyrics, refrigerators, and restaurants. It is a huge part of American culture. In high school, alcohol was almost like a right of way and if you were cool, you drank. As we grow older, do you ever think about the people who started drinking at fourteen years old?
It's fun to drink, people do it. What about the people that consistently cannot handle themselves? The people who have hindered their ability to get things done, maintain relationships with the people they love, and live authentically because of the grip of alcoholism. With that being said, where do you stand in this?
Are you egging this person on? Laughing at them? Perhaps putting them on your Snapchat story and referring to them as a "savage?" If this is you, you are wrong.
We're young, so yeah, we act stupid. If you outwardly watch someone destroy themselves, you don't deserve to be called a friend. If you know someone has a problem, you are wrong for drinking with them. There's no such thing as a casual glass of wine to someone who struggles with alcoholism. They may only drink one in front of you, but you never know what they will do when they're not in your presence. By allowing them to have that first drink when they shouldn't be, you are enabling them.
No one "used to be" an alcoholic. An alcoholic stays an alcoholic, whether they are still drinking or many years sober. You can't convince someone that they don't have a problem anymore. Above all, alcoholism is not a choice. Referring to someone as a drunk will not make them sober. Telling someone they need to get help will not help them. You can stand by them and support them, but at the end of the day, it is up to them to make peace with their demons.
Though common, alcoholism is not completely understood. You may never understand why someone is an alcoholic, but if you love them you should have every intention of learning from them. If the person relapses, it is not your fault. The only thing that would be considered your fault is if you enabled them, and if you truly loved them in any way, shape or form, you wouldn't do so.
