This Holiday Season
be Responsible

The holiday season is upon us once again, the cheerful faces of children light up as they look at the decoration on the homes and the storefronts are full of wrapped gifts with bows and glitter. As a society, we build up this excitement straight from Thanksgiving all the way into the New Year. Much of the celebration includes gathering of friends and family, co-workers gather to acknowledge the past year, cheers are put forth with one’s favourite alcoholic beverage while others will indulge in certain illicit drugs.

 

With all of these gatherings and consumption of mind-altering substances, such as beer, liquor, wine and illicit drug like pot, Cocaine, prescription drugs, history has taught this present society that there are consequences when one consumes such substances. Aside from the morning hangover or the embarrassing moment with one of your co-workers or even Uncle Joey who happened to tumble into the Christmas tree. No these consequences are minor compared to a head-on collision or the loss of control and swerving into a pedestrian.

 

Over the last century with the increased production and distribution of alcohol from around the world and added to this mix the high volume of illicit drugs being trafficked from distant countries; the Christmas season has become a hazardous time of year. So much so that organizations have sprung up to counter these activities such as MAAD and Arrive Alive who widely discourage driving under the influence of alcohol. But more recently and widespread is the “Designated Driver” concept. With such a large-scale distribution of alcohol around the nation during any other time of year, the Christmas season has many men and women drinking to intoxication despite the counter-marketing campaigns. The solution to this indulgence is to at least ensure they get safely home without killing themselves or others. It only takes a simple phone call and someone volunteers to pick you up and drive you home, how nice.

 

Before our society became overly dependent on alcohol to bring out the festive season, there was another solution to being intoxicated and having to find one’s way home. Before automobiles were sold on every street corner and households owned two and three vehicles, people lived closer to each other and travelled less. A zigzag, stumbling walk home in the fresh winter air was the most common way to safely return home in a stupor. The other way, if you had the means, was your horse and buggy, this was even better because you could take other drunken friends with you and all you had to do was tell the horse “Home ol’Pete!” and let the horse do the driving.

 

Unfortunately, we don’t move around in horse and buggy anymore so this holiday season enjoy family and friends for what they are. Leave out the mind-altering substances, you may be surprised at how much happier you will be. Alcohol and drugs have been a nuisance to mankind for quite some time and to counter this requires education, prevention and proper drug and alcohol rehabilitation treatment programs.

 

If you party and must drink over the legal limit or do drugs to a point of distraction then please locate and nominate a designated driver to make it home safe for you and those around you. Don’t let some minor chemical substance ruin everyone’s festivities by landing yourself in the hospital or the morgue. Be responsible and help create a safe environment for all to enjoy. Then again if you or someone you know won’t listen or change their ways call a drug and alcohol addiction placement specialist, he or she will help you find the right drug rehab center that suits your needs.