by Del Lobo

Created on: March 22, 2009   Last Updated: March 26, 2009

Drinking alcohol can be an innocent and subtle habit in the first place. Wine is served at dinner and your parents allow you to sip a little. Fruit punches are handed out in attractive glasses at picnics and parties. Fresh fruit like pineapple, orange and kiwi floats around in orange or mango juice. You sip on it and don't realize it's laced with alcohol. 'There's only a little bit' the host assures you. 'It's very tasty' you say. Then, you begin asking for the recipe and making it for your folks at home. They like it too. All this seems quite innocent and playful and even fun.

By and by, you begin to associate alcohol with fun. So, you rent a movie and invite a few friends over. 'BYOB, I will supply the snacks' you tell them because subconsciously you don't want to be totally associated with alcohol buying but if your friends brought it over, you would drink it. Okay, this isn't totally true because you do have a few Heineken in the fridge so you will not appear totally cheap. Your friends come over and you all begin to watch 'What about Bob?'. The movie is funny and everyone chuckles but the chuckles turn into loud laughter after a few glasses of wine and beers. Everything seems funnier and everyone gets feeling loose and relaxed. The booze runs out and someone offers to go the liquor store for more. 'ooops... it's after 11 o'clock and the liquor store has closed' announces one of the guests. 'No worries, I know a nice pub in Everton, let's go in my 8 seater van. Everyone piles in a goes to the Delaney's. It's open and rocking. Johnny buys drinks for everyone because Nigel drove his van and no one paid him for the gas. Nigel has the sense to drink less but nevertheless, he drinks. They have so much fun except for Harry, he gets violently sick. 'Can't hold your liquor huh?' everyone laughs at him and Johnny buys more drinks for the rest of the folks who don't get sick. 'I'll be fine, think I've got a flu or something Harry says.

The next day, Harry feels bad for what happened the night before and he decides to make it up to his friends by inviting them all over to is house. 'This Friday night, movie is at my house, don't bring anything. I've got everything we need'. The gang is impressed, they walk over to Harry's apartment which is walkable for all buddies. 'No driving for me, I can drink all I want' Nigel laughs.

When they get to Harry's, turns out that Harry has already had a few because he wanted to 'get a move on'! Everyone laughs at Harry and thumps him on the back. 'Good for you bud! You can drink us all under the table now!

After some time, the parties together get fewer and fewer. One buddy calls the other and invites him over 'hey Nigel, what are you doing tonight? wanna come over for a drink?' asks Johnny. But Nigel has been in the sauce since the afternoon. He got laid off unexpectedly therefore, he now drinks in the afternoon instead of waiting for his buddies to drink with them. 'No bud, I'm in for the night. See you next week' he drags on his seventh beer. Johnny hasn't been able to round up a single buddy so he cracks open a beer and sits down in front of the television.

You see folks, what begins with innocent fun, turns into a habit hard to break. What begins with a party habit turns into a dependence. Alcoholism is a curse and if you suspect you are falling into it's trap, please beware.

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