My tita gave me a book entitled "Questions Young People Ask―Answers that Work". So, I read some parts. I learned a lot from this book. As in!!! To the highest level. hahaha... So, I wud like to share some sections of a topic that I read. Instead of summarizing the sections, I’m just going to copy it. Lazy me. hehehe... so here it goes.
Drinking―Why Not?
Emotionally Stunted
Others claim that alcohol helps them to function better. Dennis, for example, was extremely shy and found it difficult to hold even a simple conversation. But then he made a discovery. “After a few drinks I would loosen up,” he said.
The problem is that one matures, not by running from difficult situations, as Dennis did, but by facing them. Learning to cope with the problems you face as a youth is just a rehearsal for the trials of adulthood. Dennis thus found that, in the long run, the temporary effects of alcohol did not help him to overcome his shyness. “When the alcohol wore off, I went back into my shell,” he reports. What about now, years later? Dennis continues: “I never really learned how to communicate with people on my own true level. I think I was stunted in this way.”
The same is true of using alcohol as a crutch in dealing with stress. Joan, who did so as a teenager, admits: “Recently, in a stressful situation I thought: ‘It would be nice to have a drink right now.’ You think that you can handle a situation better with a drink.” Not so!
An article published in the New York State Journal of Medicine says: “When drugs [including alcohol] become the means of easing difficult situations―academic, social, or interpersonal―the necessity for learning healthy coping skills is removed. Effects many not be felt until adulthood, when establishing close personal relationships then often proves difficult, leaving the individual emotionally isolated.” It is far better to meet and deal with problems and difficult situations directly!
“He Would Not Take It”
Consider the example of Jesus Christ. On the final right of his earthly life, Jesus endured a terribly stressful ordeal. Betrayed, then arrested, Jesus endured a series of interrogations in which lying accusations were made against him. Finally, after having been up all night, he was handed over to be impaled. ―John 19:28-30.
In comparison, your problems, pressures, or stresses pale into insignificance. But you can still learn a valuable lesson from Jesus’ experience. Instead of using a mood-altering substance (such as alcohol) to cope with problems, pressures, and uncomfortable situations, you are much better off if you deal with them directly. The more experience you gain in facing life’s problems, the better you will become at solving them. You will grow to have a healthy emotional makeup.
When you come of legal age, whether or not you choose to drink occasionally ― and in moderation ― will be a decision for you (and perhaps your parents) to make. Let it be an informed decision, an intelligent decision. If you choose not to drink, you have nothing to apologize about. But if you’re of legal age and decide to drink, drink responsibly. Never drink as an escape or in order to gain artificial courage. The Bible’s advice is simple and straightforward: “Drinking too much makes you loud and foolish. It’s stupid to get drunk.” ― Proverbs 20:1, Today’s English Version.
