a reply to:
soulpowertothendegree
I find it difficult to express in a concise fashion, just how staggeringly futile it is, to blame an object or substance for a set of human
behaviours.
Whether a person is forcibly injected with a pharmacuetical against thier will by another person or group of people, or imbibes too much alcohol
through thier own fault, a human choice is always made, in every foul thing that has ever befallen an individual, or a community, save of course those
incidents which occur as a result of a natural disaster or event.
Blaming alcohol for alcohol related deaths, physical abuse, sexual assault, the loss of ones keys, or even a hangover is exactly as patently
unsupportable as blaming an axe for being buried in a chest, rather than a log. It is perfectly possible for a human being to drink alcohol without
being addicted to it. It is perfectly possible for a human being to be drunk, without becoming a violent, knuckle dragging halfwit.
The people to blame in the scenarios you mention, are not therefore the beer companies, who to all intents and purposes are providing a luxury item,
an imbibing alcoholic beverage, to a public willing to pay for it. It is strictly the responsibility of the user of ANY item, whether it be a drink, a
gun, a hammer, or a car, to ensure that thier use of the item is not reckless, dangerous, or downright sociopathic in aspect.
Therefore, if a person has a drink or two, and becomes a raging bastard, it is upon that person to remain sober, if thier biochemistry prevents them
from taking a drink without becoming a fiend. That is the bottom line. People are reponsible for thier own actions, and if they get themselves drunk
and start beating thier spouses, thier children, or random passers by, then they are as responsible for that as if they had done the whole lot sober.
I would argue that no matter the outward, sober appearance they might present in public, a person who is capable of being a bastard while drunk, is
probably just a straight up bastard who can act like something else.
I say this through no small experience of alcohol. In fact, as my Kraken swilling avatar will attest, I do rather enjoy a glass of rum. I also like
ale. I like dark rum for its sweetness, its soft heat, its many faceted flavours of spices, occasionally caramel essence, and the many other hints and
aromas which comprise its glorious taste. Ale I like for its bitterness, the full feeling one gets after a pint has hit ones belly, and the hoppy
aroma it gives off under ones nose. I used to damned well LIVE in a pub, literally.
However, I have never been a slave to the drink, never felt that I HAD to have one, and nor have I ever acted totally out of character, even while
totally obliterated, on the fairly rare occasion that I ingest enough of the stuff to actually get me completely drunk. I have never gotten into a
drunken bar fight with a stranger (although I have accidentally walked into a bar fight that was happening, and had to deal with that scenario being
inflicted upon me, as opposed to being its progenitor), nor have I beaten people close to me and blamed it on the booze.
The fact is, that the people who CAN behave in such a fashion while drunk, are not particularly nice on the inside for one reason or another. That is
not a word of judgement upon them, just an observation. An awful lot can happen to a mind during a life, and the way those things express themselves
(which they always do) vary greatly dependent on many factors in that persons life, including the source of any negative artifacts in thier psyche,
how well supported they are emotionally by thier immediate family and friends, and a great many other things.
But make no mistake, people, human beings, are the cause of all of the situations you have referred to in your OP. Not beer, not drugs, not pressure,
and not fame, but PEOPLE. It takes a PERSON choosing to hurt another person, being capable of making that choice in ANY state, no matter how drunk.
There is always a choice, even when you can barely feel your own lips, when you can hardly stand, when you cannot walk in a straight line, there is
always a choice.
So when some horrible story of a drunk driver, or a beer fueled abuser hits your news feed, remember that it is not the chemical substance which is
at fault, but a weak willed human being, unwilling or unable through ego or stupidity, to understand his or her limitations enough to avoid the worst
possible outcomes of examining the edge of thier unique envelope of control.
edit on 16-9-2014 by TrueBrit because: Correction of grammatical error.