What heading is needed to get the attention and action?

Those who understand slovak, can read here, that in Russia, alcohol kills 500 000 people per year(!!!!).  I call alcohol a weapon. The harms it causes are perceived the same way as harms summed up after a war. And still – alcohol is a present, is a symbol of celebration, is there to handle happiness or sorrow, is there to encourage and to calm down and it is a norm. Like there are no other ways.

There were news that passed the world some weeks ago about the war in Sri Lanka. The war started in 1983. That means 25 years of conflicts and  fighting. UN have counted that round 100 000 people died in this war.

How much does the formula give us applied on Russia? Alcohol in Russia for 25 years means 12 500 000 dead people. Silent catastrophy going on for years without getting any attention.

One has to go through different tests to be able to have a permission to own a gun. But one gun – with the most sensitive trigger is enjoying the free market in most of the countries. 

How can that happen?

Alcohol – where does it lead us

THANK YOU! A study in USA shows that prohibiting alcohol by parents at home does not neccesserly lead to a concept of “forbidden fruit”  and alcohol abuse by teenagers. The other way around – the more alcohol parents offer to their children – the more they drink and binge drink (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-06/ps-zta061009.php)

I am thankful for this study. I think it is important to make the adults aware of their impact. In spite of all the needs of independence and rebellion young people can experience, they are still influenced by the behaviour, opinions and attitudes of their parents and of adults in general.

Drinking alcohol at home to a Sunday meal having children at the table, celebrate birth of a child with alcohol, offer alcohol to children (just a little bit so they feel included) and the first thing to give the youngsters when they graduate a high school – just think a bit – what kind of message is that? What kind of behaviour does it foster? And what kind of consequences has that behaviuor?

No! Alcohol with all the harm it causes is not a thing to celebrate or to celebrate with. A new born child should not be welcome with a drug and a weapon. A freshly graduated student should not end up sleeping in a street or park next to own vommits. The town should not be full of beer cans after a friday evening. And a child should feel that s/he belongs to the family because of the way s/he is treated 24 hours a day 365 days a year and not because it gets to consume the same junk as the parents do.

Otherwise the celebration of life, success and relax becomes celebration of trash, violence, stupidity and lazyness and not rarely ends up in unconsciuos and death.

They say that youth is not responsible and reliable. But where is the responsibility of adults then when they pour alcohol into their childrens throats?

Greatness

I love watching people´s greatness. It does not really matter in which field. I have recently watched interview with Elton John. He has never been my favourite. I remeber how people made fun of him because of his wigs and that he was gay. It has all passed (seems like) or I am just not following the “news”. Anyway that is approximately all I registered about him. However I am happy I watched the interview and could see that he is more than a singing machine. It´s great to hear people´s stories to understand a bit better. Not only them but life.

I also enjoy watching sports because of the greatness that shows there.

I enjoy meeting people who hide their greatness in their modesty. Or in their understanding. Or in their sharp mind. I really like being impressed by people.

There is so much greatness around.

About sobriety

Intereseting enough but while I was zapping between TV this morning I got to hear two messages on two different channels related to sobriety. One was a study made where a person´s sleep after  alcohol consumption at a party was tested and compared to a sleep after an alcohol free night. The result: In spite of the feeling that one sleep very good after after a night  filled with alcohol, the body is very stressed, the puls is round 77 and one skips the dream phase of the sleep (pretty important part of our sleep). The same person but sober had puls 60 and dream phase. The conclusion – the body is very stressed which can then lead to increase weight, heart problems etc.

Another programme showed an intreview with Elton John who said that he was sober 15 years now  and it was the best 15 years of his life.

Was nice to hear!

Thoughts from Travnik

As promised in the previous entry, I am here publishing small picture collection from Travnik (Bosnia and Herzegovina) where I was some weeks ago. The visit gave me new energy. We planned and wrote an application on starting the process of  designing and implementation of alcohol policy in Bosnia.

I just felt happy to be there. I liked the people and their personalities. It was kind of warmer and more lively there at that meeting. Jokes and seriousness were shifting during the working time. I really enjoyed the motivation and enthusiasm of our partners from Travnik. It was pleasure to be there,  work and get to know the people and the place. 

Walking around I got to see that the time left its traces but it does not stop. Life goes on no matter what. And people adjust to the conditions. They find their happiness and they find things to complain about. Always.

The white stones all around remind of the conflicts that grew big. Conflicts that in ones mind have no logic. Have no relevance and could be solved by a short conversation. Conflicts that in someone´s else´s mind had the highest meaning and have just one and only solution. Yes..that´s how it is between people. We have the gift to see another possible perspective  but we use the gift very rarely. Unfortunately.

Travnik