By Harold Keller

I came across the following article my granddaughter, Monique, wrote in this newspaper when she was 16 years old.  She is now 25 and a teacher at Southeastern University.  The message was important to young people at the time and even more relevant today.

Straight Talk from Straight Kids

By Monique Michel

I’ve never really understood the appeal of alcohol.  The people who I know who have drank have never said it was fun or exciting.  In fact, they regret it.

Beer commercials seem to glamorize drinking, insinuating that all cool people drink to have fun.  It’s alarming that a lot of these commercials seem to be aimed at young people.  While some of these ads are funny, these companies aren’t showing us the downside to alcohol.  The truth is that as soon as you drink, you jeopardize your life and the lives of others, as well.

Drinking impairs judgment and coordination.  When you drink you have the probability of doing things you wouldn’t normally do if you were sober.  I know a girl who, after a night of drinking, learned she was pregnant but didn’t remember who fathered the child.  This shows such a lack of respect for herself, and it brought an innocent child into the world who will never know her father because of her mother’s lack of responsibility.  

Drunk driving shatters thousands of lives a year.  People who don’t deserve to die do so because of a stranger’s stupidity.  Not only are people killed, but families are destroyed, as well.

The Bible warns in Proverbs 20:1 that “Wine is a mocker and strong drink is raging.”  It also says, “Anyone who is deceived by alcohol is not wise.”  Any fool can be pressured into drinking, but it takes someone who is stronger to be able to hold tight to his or her convictions when the pressure is on.   

People have asked me why I’ve never drank.  My answer is pretty simple: I’m smarter than that.  I don’t need alcohol to have a good time.  My friends aren’t so boring that we need to drink.  Besides, I’ve always thought remembering what I did the night before was pretty fun.

If you have any questions, or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call 9985) 652-8477, or e-mail: hkeller@comcast.net.