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Vodka

The Escape from Hardships That Can Lead To One’s Downfall

Maryam Mohsin

Switzerland

Mrs. Boletsis-Waszczuk & Mr. Zisser

4 February 2019
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The Escape from Hardships That Can Lead To One’s Downfall

Imagine feeling out of control. One losing their senses and not remembering a

thing that they did or said the day before. That’s what vodka and other alcoholic drinks

can do to an individual. Vodka is not the solution to the problems that you are maybe

dealing with. It’s not the best choice to make because drinking doesn’t really help solve

any problems, but brings out the worst in someone. When being drunk, we can make

mistakes that can affect and haunt us later on in our life. Therefore, vodka is unethical to

advertise because it can lead to one’s demise of one’s health or even their life.

Drinking vodka is like taking a drug, in fact, vodka is a drug because of alcohol

content and it is highly addictive (drugfreeworld.org). This is a worldwide problem

because many people drink vodka which can lead to serious outcomes such as car

accidents, fights, rape, and major health issues. In an article, “I Drove Drunk and Killed 3

People,” it talks about a young woman named Nicole Lafreniere who killed three of her

friends while driving drunk. "Nicole, not everyone is OK," she said softly, staring right

into my eyes. "Not everyone is OK," she repeated. Despite my foggy brain, I knew what

she meant: Our friends were dead. The three boys in the backseat — Kyle, A.J., and Matt

McKaskey — were already dead when rescuers arrived. Why didn't anyone take my keys

away from me? I did a lot of crying.” This basically symbolizes that Nicole regrets

making the decision of being behind the wheel that killed three of her close friends and

wished that she made a different choice. “The fact that I couldn't remember anything

made it that much harder to comprehend.” Since, Nicole couldn’t remember a thing that

happened, she “relied on other people's memories” (cosmopolitan.com). Vodka shouldn’t

be marketed because it can lead to serious outcomes like the tragedy that had happened to
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Nicole and her close friends. “In 2010, 10,228 people died in drunk driving crashes – one

every 52 minutes – and 345,000 were injured.” (bactrack.com) Why sell a product that

can make you feel out of control? Or even make you not remember what you did nor

said?

In addition, having too much to drink leads to making the worst decisions that can

cause you to feel regret for the rest of your life.

The physical pain was excruciating, but the thought of what

I'd done was worse. The deaths of my friends weighed

heavily on my mind. When I tried to sleep, I just wailed

into my pillow. My mom heard me a few times, and she

would come in and cry too, and we'd pray. I didn't want to

get up or eat. I kept wanting Kyle to call, knowing deep

down he never would again. (cosmopolitan.com)

Nicole knew that she wasn’t in any condition to drive, but did anyway and it was

a wreck for her. She wished that she would go back to that day and make the right

decision that would have kept her friends alive. “I kept wondering, Why did I survive?”

It’s a blessing and a miracle that she survived because now she can tell her story and

persuade people to quit drinking. Nicole has learned the consequences of what being

drunk while driving can do to an individual. Her message is to let people “know that

drunk-driving accidents happen to ordinary people. I was a happy, regular person, and

now I'm in prison. It never crossed my mind that one little choice could have such a
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devastating impact” (cosmopolitan.com).

Alcohol abuse can impact a person's mental and physical abilities. It can cause

slurred speech, flush skin, loss of balance, sexual problems, birth defects in pregnancy

and problems with society (www.park.edu). There is a story that is sad, but very

inspiring. It talks about a young man named Sean Carter who had the perfect life until he

made a bad decision that costed his life. So, how bad was the decision that Sean made?

Well, “At 22, Sean Carter was a college junior out drinking with friends. He knew he was

in no condition to drive home – but neither was the buddy who gave him a ride.” This

incident “left Sean in a wheelchair and unable to speak. Now a computer is his voice.”

Sean’s life has been a wrecking ball, but he manages to keep spreading his message by

using “his injury and experience as an example to others. He and his mother travel to

speak to groups all over the United States. He entertains. He warns. His gift of inspiration

draws people to his radiant smile, his quick wit, and his power to communicate. He

develops an immediate rapport with everyone he meets, and he and his mother motivate

audiences to never, ever give up.” No matter how bad life is you can make good things

happen. “We are not saying put your glass down. We’re saying don’t get in the car when

you’ve had that drink. Don’t be responsible for hurting anyone or yourself,” says Jenny

Carter (facesofdrunkdriving.com). I, one hundred percent agree with Sean’s mother

Jenny Carter because why get in a car when you’re not yourself? Why risk yourself or

someone’s life?

“Sean’s brain injury left him unharmed mentally, but physically no longer able to

talk or walk. He couldn’t swallow his own saliva, causing him to drool. He couldn’t dress

or feed himself. Or go to the bathroom alone. At night he found himself trapped under the
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covers in his bed, unable to move when he was too hot or cold. Once fiercely

independent, he was forced to rely on his mother for everything.” Sean’s injury shouldn’t

have happened, but since it did, we need to acknowledge the fact that we now know the

consequences that can happen to one’s life. “Sean and Jenny receive encouraging

messages daily from others who have heard their story and are changing their lives for

the better … they are gratified that Sean’s story motivates teens and others to drive sober”

(facesofdrunkdriving.com). This is a powerful message to give to people especially teens

because one strong message can save a life.

Why do people drink vodka? People say that drinking vodka helps them to escape

their problems, but in my opinion it really doesn’t. Drinking can make your health

worsen, ruin relationships with the people that you care about, it can undermine your self

esteem and can lead to suicide. People say that drinking helps them “loosen up” and have

fun"(cosmopolitan.com). Is killing someone while drunk driving fun? No, it's not fun. It's

dangerous and shouldn’t happen to anyone. If you’re facing or having any problems with

your life, why think of alcohol? Why not talk to someone? We have family, friends,

doctors, therapists, and teachers that we can trust and talk our problems to. They have our

backs and support. Don’t be afraid to talk to someone. Never give up and continue to do

what’s best for yourself. Drinking isn’t the solution to your problems. It will lead you

down the wrong path. Life would get better if people just sober up. They would be living

their life feeling happy and just doing what’s best for themselves.

The reason why vodka should not be marketed is because enough is enough. We

can’t keep seeing people die or feel depressed. They have a life ahead of them with goals

and dreams they want to accomplish. We have heard stories that led people into the
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wrong path and made them feel bad about themselves. A teacher told me that a doctor

said to him, “Before someone got addicted to heroin or cocaine, they were an alcoholic

person.” This is surprising to me because there’s people who actually do both and can’t

find an escape to stop doing what they do. What makes things hard is trying to spread

messages to those who are alcoholic that they should stop drinking and to sober up. “You

often need professional help to break an alcohol addiction. As a result, many people seek

medical detoxification to get sober. It’s the safest way to ensure you break the physical

addiction” (healthline.com). So, my opinion to those who are struggling to quit, is to go

to rehab. Do it for yourself. Do it for those who have lost their lives. Do it for those who

are unable to walk, talk or even do anything.

Vodka shouldn’t be advertised because more people would most likely get drunk

which will lead to horrifying tragedies and incidents. Additionally, vodka shouldn’t be

advertised due to the effects it can do to your body. One effect is that vodka can give an

individual is cancer. Nobody likes cancer because it sucks. Another effect that vodka can

do is cause birth defects in pregnancy and harm a woman’s unborn baby which will lead

to a risk of miscarriage (kidshealth.org). Effects like these can make people fear for their

heath or even their unborn baby. Experiencing these effects is not so great because you

don’t want to worsen your health. Vodka affects the “cerebellum, cerebral cortex, brain

tissue and the limbic system” of the brain. (pubs.niaaa.nih.gov) These affects can lead to

“severe damage in these parts of the brain, which subsequently leads to multiple issues

such as short-term memory loss, decreased brain cells, depression, mood changes, poor

sleep and alcohol dependence.”

Vodka is a major problem in this country and it needs to end. A majority of people
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rely on vodka to assist them to escape their own problems, which isn’t the answer. Vodka

has caused serious outcomes and it doesn’t go very well. For people, it's hard for them to

not pick up the drink and take a sip because they’re addicted to it. No matter how hard it

can be to not drink vodka, just know that you can do it.

Work Cited Page

- Tomorrow, Blue & Green. “Understanding the Ethics of Alcohol Production and

Marketing.” Blue and Green Tomorrow, Blue and Green Tomorrow, 25 Nov. 2016,

blueandgreentomorrow.com/features/understanding-ethics-alcohol-production-

marketing/.

- “23 Effects of Alcohol on Your Body.” Healthline, Healthline Media,

www.healthline.com/health/alcohol/effects-on-body.
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- Negative Effects of Vodka | Beverages and Health. beveragesandhealth.com/negative-

effects-of-vodka/.

- “What You Need to Know About Vodka.” The Spruce Eats, TheSpruceEats,

www.thespruceeats.com/vodka-101-760707.

- LaFreniere, Nicole. “I Drove Drunk and Killed 3 People.” Cosmopolitan, Cosmopolitan,

13 July 2017, www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/a50255/three-people-killed-drunk-

driving-story/.

- “Sean's Story.” Faces of Drunk Driving, www.facesofdrunkdriving.com/sean.

- Talbott Recovery, 23 Oct. 2018, “2018 Alcoholism Statistics You Need to Know.”

talbottcampus.com/alcoholism-statistics/.

- “What Is Alcohol? Is Alcohol a Drug? Alcohol Content - Drug-Free World.” Foundation

for a Drug-Free World, www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/alcohol.html.

- “Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (for Parents).” Edited by Mary L. Gavin, KidsHealth, The

Nemours Foundation, Aug. 2016, kidshealth.org/en/parents/fas.html.

- https://www.bactrack.com/blogs/expert-center/35040645-dui-statistics