It transcends the normal range of human reason and understanding how a reasonable human being in his right senses and normal consciousness could be overcome by an unreasonable impulse that defies explanation, to yield to the lures of and be hooked by the bottle and with greedy eyes and parched throat quaff or guzzle down various forms of alcoholics beverages which will alter his consciousness and let him operate in different planes and terrains unknown to this world and see things differently from ordinary people and act abnormally. The bottle is a mighty conqueror and a fiercely vindictive chastiser. It is merciless and absolute. Quick to act and Eveready to exert it influence pernicious and ever widening authority. It acts subtly on its victims and preys suspending them in seductive illusion like chaff in the wind and eventually drops them to their hapless and invited doom. The bottle and its seemingly harmless liquid content creates an initially healthy atmosphere and a friendly arena for the depressed, the frustrated, the underprivileged, the disadvantaged, chain smokers, criminals, teenage delinquents, prostitutes, rakes and profligates, fanatics, the mentally retarded and all those who believe that the world is unjust and has treated them unfairly. And would seek for solace and justice in the potency of the bottle. After all, the quick liquid is not governed by human vagaries. It seldom delays, it is effective, fast and buoyant, it kills quick. Even the religionist who sees visions and dream dreams is at times enamored by the famous liquid and compelled to sip a little, not much to be able to see well and hear the voice of the lord to lead his shepherd to the door of salvation.. After all the prince of peace and the stiller of the storm turned water into wine at Canaan.
How would one interpret this mind-boggling and reason shattering phenomenon. The society, already corrupt and falling in a modernist cul de sac of barbarism, chaos and anarchy. Vile degeneration and dancing like crazy in a labyrinth of doubts and uncertainties, materialism and individualism, clad in the dark cloak of wishful thinking syndrome, alienation and egoism, dishonesty and devaluation of human values. the relative order that prevails and is under constant threats by the activities of those who seek not the welfare of the society but the satiation of their insatiable whims! They have destabilized the society and augmented all the vices by creating poisonous substances appealing to the gluttonous appetites of men who lack restraint, dangerous chemicals that lifts humans from their normal consciousness to that of animal consciousness and divides the humans into two groups. Those with human leanings and strive to maintain human dignity and balance and those with human forms but are striving to force the human race into realms of the animals and would be glad to see the cities and civilization converted to a jungle of maniacs and misfits.
What would prompt men endowed with reason, sane men to capitulate to the capricious whims and malicious machinations of their fellow men, who would invite them from their natural world to a different one promising doom. Lifting them from their depressing and oppressing states to equally depressing and oppressive states even more destructive. They sit with popping eyes and childish mendacity for their fellow men who have plunged into the mysteries of the universe, those who have explored the secrets of nature to brew and concoct poisonous liquids for them to drink and die? They accept like drinks from their heaven chemicals that their fellow men have “brewed” as a safe haven for them to retreat because they are cowards and lack the courage to face the realities of life. Their immature brains can not reason so they need something to stir it to think in a different manner. The desire for money has made the human race hostile than ever, devoid of conscience, and apathetic. And concocting a poisonous substances for his fellow human to consume and revel in abnormalities is a normal way of modern life. Accepted norm.
The ancient Greeks, respected for their immense contribution to civilization although most of their propositions and discoveries were directly borrowed from Egypt, were overtly conscious of the centrality of wine to civilization that they imbued wine with supernatural powers and found a place in their mythological pantheon a place for a god, Bacchus to preside over wine and teach the human race how to drink, revel and feast in drunkenness and irresponsible acts, a means of damaging their brains so that they wouldn’t think like the gods!
One would have thought that with technological advancements and improvements in all spheres of life in the society would have curbed if not bring under total control this disturbing social menace. That is not the case. The devilish passion for alcoholic drinks was not left in a remote timeframe of the old-fashioned past. The irresponsible act was not left to fizzle out in the village. It was not left for the poor men, the underprivileged and the depressed to anaesthetize their sorrows. The practice was not left to the village brave men to sneak into hidden thatched cottages of women tycoons to drink the drink of blessing in their pots with calabashes and glasses. The magical liquid was not left to wander in the deem past and its harrowing history of having large devotes who bow to its influence merely referred to as possessing some few men who lack restraint and became addicted to the almighty Akpeteshie and were extremely dirty, abusive, riotous, lawless, mutinous and rebellious. Walking awkwardly and vomiting and firing from their thick red lips by the courtesy of Akpeteshie mucous the size of a football. Smelly and disgusting!
The devils liquid, the mild cyanide has being transported to our so called modern society and even revolutionized. It has been modernized and integrated into our psyche. They house the modern liquid in sleek bottles and trendy sachets and containers, the alcohol content are calculated in percentages so that the gluttons would be able to know the degree or the extent their maddened and abnormalities would go. They are conscious that they would loose their normal poise when they consume the alcoholic beverages but they are not daunted. The heroes of the day are the alcoholic beverages. They are giving captivating names in their modern apparels and shape to trap the unwary youth, teenage delinquents, criminals and prostitutes. They are famous. The are giving heroic epithets and we are made to believe that the alcoholic beverages are all that we need to help us combat the numerous throes and troubles of this world. They are giving media hype and attention. Our television station cannot resist the lures of the alcoholic beverages. They are extremely rich and no one can curb or control their villainous influence. The youth are recruited to parade on the street like crazy to advertise the killer liquid. Brass band processions, singing and chorusing, drumming and dancing accompanies the majestic bottle. People with hoarse voices and have never sung before are suddenly transformed to angelic choristers under the influence of liquor to sing hymns to the glorification of the intoxicant. Alcoholic beverages are worshiped. They are idolized. Surely they are the new savior of the masses. They epitomize the aspirations of the populace. If you don’t partake in the drunken spree bordering on madness and senselessness, you are deemed a failure, the coward, the guilty one, the insane. Truly, the alcoholic beverages exert powerful influence. They are unchallengeable. They wield immense power.
An ingenious anecdote a friend of mine told me reveals clearly that it is hard for one to convince the masses of the negative effects of the bottle. He said a drunkard was asked to stop drinking and be responsible. The drunk, stung and infuriated by the statement meant to separate him from his bottle retorted angrily. Who are you to advice me against drinking. I choose to drink and how does that got to do with you? what is your worry. I will drink again and again till god himself would repent for creating the palm nut tree.
Such is the irony surrounding the bottle and its adherents. Such is the irreparable effects of alcoholism. The paradox is glaring. How can one talk to some one with altered consciousness to be able to understand you. The wretched victim, the pitiable slave is not in his right senses, he is intoxicated and nothing makes sense to him!
It would be impossible to lists all the effects of alcoholism here. It has eaten deep like a canker in the society. learned and responsible adults have fallen pray to the devastating liquid. Apart from the fact that it is extremely dangerous to human health as medical science has proven, addiction to alcoholism makes one socially unfit. Those who acts under the influence of liquor are worse than lunatics and are constant threat to the society. Numerous lives have being lost due to alcoholism. Most social vices have been traced to have direct link to indiscriminate consumption of liquor and other intoxicants. Most rapists, criminals, prostitutes, careless drivers, teenage delinquents, murderers are known to operate or acts under the influence of alcohol. Heavy drunks are social nuisances. They are hulks of burden. As they cannot think straight and their reasoning faculties cease to work effectively. Elders who become enslaved by the bottle leave no meaningful life in the society. they become the enemies of themselves and leave no legacies.
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