If you are anything like me, you need to see the cold hard facts in order to believe of all of the injustices that happen in the world around us. That is what this letter is all about....opening your eyes. I pray that someone will become alert enough from this that they get out of harms way before it is too late.
I know that alcoholism is not a fun thing to think about. Especially being in college now, most don't tend to think about the long term affects of drinking. And that is what this letter is about. Whether a social drinker, alcoholic, or you don't drink at all, EVERYONE is at risk of facing some sort of alcohol related death or injury more than once in their lifetime. One of every 2 drivers on the road on Friday and Saturday nights past midnight are legally drunk and behind the wheel. The legal definition of being drunk in the state of Indiana is .10. For the average person, the impairment after simply 4 beers is
over 25%. That affects your judgement, your control, your anything and everything. More than half of the 55+ thousand traffic deaths throughout the U.S. are related to alcohol and more than half of that percentage is related to more than one substance involved at one time.
Just a little more info. $150 billion dollars is lost every year fom loss of work hours due to alcohol. That is time lost from workers calling in sick due to drinking, workers coming in late, and also showing up for work yet not putting in their full effort due to hangovers...etc. That $150 billion could be used for so many more things than covering up the life of a drunk worker.
Now the starting date for experimental alcohol use is the age of 10-10 1/2. That is too young folks! The average age for experimental marijuana use is 11 and 12 for crack. 1 of every 5 college students have tested positive for HIV. 58% of student pregnancies are related to alcohol or some other drug. The numbers go on and on. It is not too late to help though. There are ways that you can help decrease all of these numbers.
Since the numbers are so staggering, the chances of you personally knowing someone that fits into any one of the above mentioned categories is too much to disregard. Let others know about these numbers and how dangerous drugs and alcohol is. I don't want to be able to run into you years down the road and you be able to tell me horror story after horror story about your friends or you yourself being placed in any one of these categories. Don't wait until it's too late to tell a friend how much you really care for them if they are messing with any one of these things. Help to decrease the national average, not increase it.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
