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He tells the story about a much younger man who was stationed in the military in Illinois. It was a hot, summer evening. The bar was air-conditioned. He had been drinking. When he finally cut himself off, he left the air-conditioned environment. He recalls walking back to the base, but he can't tell you how he got from the gate to his quarters, how he found his clothes and boots neatly put away when he woke the next day. He cannot say if he got himself into his upper bunk after he put his belongings away or if someone helped him. But he knows he drank too much that night because the guard just shook his head when the young man passed by.
On the young man's return to civilian life he met a girl. A while later he asked her to marry him. He vowed he never wanted to be an alcoholic. There was alcoholism in his family so he knew what happened and he didn't want that, he said, when she voiced her concerns.
You might have noted a few valuable pieces of information in the man's tale, notables worth taking with you when you set this story aside. It's a story that comes to mind just about this time every year, and in the spring at prom time, the special events that highlight a family's life and history. And you want all memories to be good ones.
With Thanksgiving 2021 tucked away in the history book that someone in the family records such things, the holiday season is here. Was it a shock for you when folks began talking about Christmas parties, pictures with Santa at the fire station, vacation days and school breaks?
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) wants everyone to enjoy the holidays safely, especially this year with the pandemic still lingering fore whatever reason. But the agency also is concerned with a little myth-busting for your good health and well-being. (Put some faces in place of the agency's name, the human factor we all tend to overlook, people with some sense of kindness, compassion ... altruism ... so you can see and feel the concerns that are real and honest.
Remember the old movies where someone gets drunk and a friend jumps into the scene with black coffee and cold showers to sober the person up? Well, "Caffeine may help with drowsiness, but not with the effects of alcohol on decision-making or coordination. The body needs time to metabolize (break down) alcohol and then return to normal."
At what point has someone arrived at the "do not drive" condition? Slurred words, outlandish behavior? We-ell, "The coordination needed for driving is compromised long before you show signs of intoxication and your reaction time is slowed. Plus, the sedative effects of alcohol increase your risk of nodding off or losing attention behind the wheel."
Apparently, there is a "warm feeling you get from drinking alcohol, and some folks believe the alcohol insulates you from the cold of winter. Well, not so.
"Alcohol widens the tiny blood vessels right under the skin so they quickly fill with warm blood, making you feel warm," but, "your body temperature is actually dropping, because while alcohol is pulling warmth from your body's core to the skin surface, it is also depressing the area of your brain that controls temperature regulation. In cold environments, this can lead to hypothermia."
Enjoy your celebrations, but, please, tend to your best interests of good health and well-being. If you have a problem with alcohol, there is help. All you have to do is make a phone call and ask.
Addiction has no address, but Family Recovery Center does. For more information about the education, prevention and treatment programs for substance abuse and related behavioral issues, contact the agency at 964 N. Market St., Lisbon; phone, 330-424-1468; or email, info@familyrecovery.org. Visit the website at familyrecovery.org. FRC is funded in part by Columbiana County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board.