Research has shown that moderate consumption of alcohol is beneficial to the human body, if it's beneficial to the body then what makes it harmful? Now I'm gonna answer that, what makes it harmful is the excess consumption of it.
Certain People in my part of the world believe alcohol can make them forget whatever they are going through at the moment, well it can to an extent but then after the effect of the alcohol subsides from their system, they'd be faced with reality again. People take alcohol with the mindset of consuming it for the sake of the stomach but end up getting drunk "No be juju be that".
I feel like alcohol is not the problem and to go further alcohol is just a substance that can be used for many purposes which crosses medical sectors, production sectors and to mention a few.
Another thing we must put into consideration is the fact that there's a difference between Alcohol and Alcoholism, there's always a need to govern whatever substance we consume which may also have negative effects, and that's why there's a need for prohibition. If we feel there's a need to abstain from or reduce the intake of any substance or thing, we have to set boundaries, we can be able to drink and not get drunk, the real evil comes from the person using the substance and that's why it is always prescribed on bottle labels and wraps that any person below a certain age, should abstain from such substance cause they might not have the capacity to control the effect substance when the intake is excess.
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When it comes to Africa and traditions in Africa as a whole, alcohol is an essential element that is used to serve several functions, and that includes spiritual functions as well. In any average Nigerian traditional meeting, there is always a bottle of alcohol to galvanize whatever will go on in the meeting, either to appease the gods or for reference purposes. It is crucial to the point that alcohol cannot be taken away from human life, in other words, Banning alcohol is not the problem. Someone might say if alcohol is not there, we won't have to deal with issues of the effect, Yes I agree but what of the other essential functions it serves? Was it meant to be abused? Was it meant to be overused, so the problem boils down to the curtailment of the usage of the substance? People should get sensitized to the effects and learn to govern the intake of this substance.
Sometimes, we find ourselves in a society where many factors drive the minds of people and citizens into taking consequential activities such as getting drunk, how does it feel to get drunk? It takes one out of the actual sense of reality and takes them into places and realms where they don't control with clear eyes which is an ugly effect of the substance and a fact, this influence only comes when the substance is abused or used excessively.
In conclusion: I know the effect alcohol has caused a lot of harm to people, some have lost their lives, some have lost their homes, and some are living with health issues, now the question " Will banning alcohol make things better?" Even if alcohol is banned there will always be alternatives what about those cough syrups people take just to get high or drunk? The only solution I can think of right now is to create an awareness program to educate people on the amount of alcohol they take, especially our young people growing up should be educated.
Thanks for reading🌹