Alcohol a Canadian Poison by Mike Lovett
Mike Lovett
2019/05/06
4:15 AM
Alcohol a Canadian Poison
In Canada 19% of the population is reported to be heavy drinkers but that rises to 40% in the 12-24 FSINM category that’s close to a quarter of our population that essentially has a drug dependency. People use alcohol in social settings all the time, without causing too much harm to themselves but many people aren’t using alcohol for that reason their using it to try to cover things up that they should really be treating or their caught in a habit that needs to be replaced but many people need help to change their behaviour. Alcoholism can have long lasting effects on the brain especially if you start in your youth, it’s reported that 4% of youth are already classified as heavy drinkers, which is even worse because drinking before you’re prefrontal lobe and hippocampus are fully developed can cause problems with impulse control, motivation, emotions, and addiction, which can trap people in a cycle of abuse before they even realize. alcohol abuse is also inter-generational meaning if you are a parent that drinks heavily, or believe your child is at risk of alcohol abuse, you should take extra care to teach your child about the dangers of long term, unhealthy alcohol consumption, coping methods for stress and various other challenges your child may encounter, and most important be there to talk to your child without spreading too much judgment so they can be comfortable expressing themselves. Many methods they teach you in therapy to overcome addictions are to replace the habit this can work if you are not using the alcohol for anything else besides you being bored, but many people are using it to cover up mental illness, traumatic events and many other reasons for these people I’d recommend counselling for traumatic events and maybe even speaking to a doctor or setting up an appointment with a therapist because addictions and mental illness go hand in hand. There is no way to end addictions but there’s help for lots of people I believe more awareness for addictions, coping methods and mental health and education in classrooms would go a long way to show people suffering there’s other ways they can live their lives. I feel it is also important to expose people to people who are suffering and who have overcome dependence to take down the stigma some people may hold so Canadian’s would be more inclined to put resources into helping those suffering. The most important thing to remember is that addiction is no one’s fault and passing blame doesn’t do anything besides slow healing if someone you are close to is suffering try to be there for them and do what you can to help them find a better path and healthier future.
work cited:
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-625-x/2017001/article/54861-eng.htm
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