Alcoholically Yours..

Alcoholics trip and fall, mutter anything and everything once the magic fluid hits their brain.

They go out of their senses, dance awkwardly even when they are on the center of a road.

They scream in joy, hurl abuses when angry, cry in pain.. well the list of their 'madness' goes on.. 

They are considered as the current 'untouchables' of our society- Maybe this time around the list is just bigger!

How often do we find ourselves amidst a group of alcoholics? In today's world where stress rules the roost and alcohol seems to be a stress-buster/stress-reliever/ fun drink or no matter what name we plan to give the 'elixir', it somehow seems to dominate almost every menu.

It just isn't about how much or when or why, it has now somehow gained the status of THE IN THING. 

If you don't booze, you ain't cool! 

Coming from amidst such a group, it sounds ludicrous when someone who didn't touch alcohol a few months back is lying flat on a sofa with alcohol spreading within every vein of his/her body and saying- 'Man, I didn't want to stay away from THE IN CROWD!'

What do you mean by the IN CROWD? A crowd is made up of all of us. Why then do you think that the 'in crowd' needs to know everything about a vodka punch or every type of whiskey that exists on earth ? Or why is it that the ones who don't consume alcohol are treated as sheep?

It's all a matter of choice. No one becomes good or bad by consuming or avoiding a glass of alcohol.We have better things to notice about a person than the brand or dosage of his/ her per day consumption of alcohol.

Everywhere in the world (especially the world where I live), I have seen people judging others on the basis of him/her being a drunkard or not. Where on earth has it been proven that only the ones who booze have committed rapes or broken doors and windows and committed unforgivable crimes? Or for that matter where is it written that a guy who does not booze is the best a girl can have or a girl who does not booze is the best bet a guy can win?

Infact, I have living ( in other words - 'Jeeta Jaagta') examples around me. I have friends who swear by alcohol as their lifeline. They never pressurize me to consume their favourite thing with them nor do they seem like the worst bunch of youth hanging around me.They respect my choice, so do I respect theirs. They are perfectly normal individuals with varied choices and ways of living, just as anybody else.

I am in awe of the fact that these people are sometimes more sensible and down-to-earth than the others. They are confident enough to confess that they drink, inspite of the way society looks at them. They are also aware of the fact that not all would like to include them in their group but yet they don't fake their habits or ways of living. They are true to their skin. They don't try to be someone they are not.They might be drunkards, but they too have a heart ( A fact that we often seem to forget).. As long as they are living their lives on their own terms, it's none of our business to interfere in their self-made cocoon.

To all the worried parents, relatives and friends out there - all I would like to say is - Don't treat the alcoholics as inhuman creatures. Of course if consumed in excess it is unhealthy and even dangerous, but do they don't know the facts already ? We can just guide them to be knowledgeable individuals. We should not forget the fact that, like us, they also have chosen to live their lives, the way they want to .

It's often a misconception that those who drink, they don't care. Maybe they need love instead of brickbats. Maybe they need to say something which they otherwise are not able to.. Instead of criticizing their choice, why not try to understand it? If not understand, why not atleast try to recognize the existing condition beyond the visible mask?

Not all are the same. If you can't accept it, don't reject it. Just let it be.. Just BE...

- DIVYA NAMBIAR