Some time ago, I met an old neighbour of mine. She was a lady of my age. Both of us got married and never got a chance to met again until now.
Her appearance was predictive of her miseries. She briefly told me about her life circumstances. She had married a financially stable man. They were living a good life until they had two daughters. The man took good care of his family. He had gone to Kuwait for some time, and then returned back to the native country. Things were fine until then.
Suddenly he started acting strange that made no sense to the family, and when they discovered the reason things had already gotten out of hand.
The man had become an addict to some hard drugs, perhaps heroin. Since then, he has become a curse for the family. He not only doesn’t earn to provide his family but also has sold the belongings of his wife. He goes on beating her at times. No love remained for the children either.
He has been to prison also, but it made no difference on his addiction. His parents tried to get him treated but of no use. Returning back to the same social environment opens up the way of same calamity.
Meanwhile, they had another daughter. Now the lady is living in a pitiful condition trying to rear her kids. She herself has got ailments that are quite expensive to treat. She is not financially strong from the side of her parents either. Whatever support she gets from her family, her husband is there to destroy it.
It is just one story I have come across personally. I know there are plenty of similar stories where the use of drugs not only destroy an individual but the lives of several people attached to the person are put to fire.
The city I live in, we easily witness hundreds of drugs addict lying under the bridges in a woeful condition.
These people have become a cause of destroying city's infrastructure. They take the covers of sewerage holes, break the iron pipes of pedestrian bridges, and rob several other things to quench their thirst for the drugs.
These people are no longer beneficial to any one instead a burden to their families and to the society. Families are torn a part and communities bear the brunt of the resulting crimes and instability.
Hard drugs are quick to make a person addicted, so we all agree on the negative effects of their utility. However, there might be a different opinion about alcohol as it doesn’t create addiction that quickly. Nonetheless, it is a drug at the end and its long term negative effects on mind and body are well established. (I don’t think I need to discuss them in details here).
Then, we encounter an argument to utilize alcohol in moderation and not become an addict. Here my question is what is the parameter of moderation! How many of the drugs or alcohol addicts started taking it to become an addict?
Most of the addicts started it merely as social drinking or as a result of peer pressure. Gradually the line is crossed and destruction is inevitable.
In Pakistan, being an Islamic state alcohol is legally banned with an exception to be used by minorities for their cultural and religious purposes. Even that sale is under restriction and needs license and permission. Nonetheless, alcohol is sold illegally by mafias behind the scenes, and so is accessible to general population.
So far as the question posed by Hive Learners Community whether banning alcohol will bring any difference to the society is concerned, I believe that controlling alcohol consumption alone wouldn’t significantly impact society. It is because several other factors such as corruption, lack of education, lack of health facilities, unemployment etc. contribute to our challenges.
Nonetheless, I believe the eradication of this cursed drink may protect several individuals and their families from devastating consequences of addiction, violence and broken homes.
This post is my participation for Hl-featured contest.
image from pixabay.com
