There is this to be said in favour of drinking, that it takes the drunkard first out of society, then out of the world” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
It was a Monday morning and we were having a consultant ward round in the male medical ward. The consultant was with his usual retinue and as expected medical students were last on the procession train. We stopped by a patient’s bedside and as the consultant and registrars discussed the patient’s case, I took a good view of the other patients and got lost in thought.
I saw many of the patients with their wives sitting by their sides and attending to them. I saw worry, compassion and concern in the tired eyes of these companions. I saw love.
I saw men who were once full of life and agile now looking very weak and lean with protruded stomachs. I looked through the icteric eyes of some of them and I saw regret. I pictured these men in their heydays, full of life and recklessly consuming alcohol. I pictured them returning home drunk every night. I pictured their wives begging them to drop their drinking habits.
As I was about to picture them in the bar shouting for extra bottles of alcohol, the consultant’s voice jolted me back to reality. The patient had a liver disease secondary to chronic alcohol consumption.
It’s no secret that alcohol consumption can cause major health problems. Long term use of alcohol in excessive quantities is capable of damaging nearly every organ and system in the body. Some have argued that moderate alcohol consumption has its merits but I believe its numerous demerits overweigh its few merits.
Alcohol is a potent installmental suicidal agent which can slowly ruin the life of the consumer and also those of his loved ones. Most times the consequences of our actions might not affect only us but also our loved ones, it is high time we took them into consideration.
It is easier to avoid alcohol intake than to stop its consumption. Please be wise!

All those Hennessey and Moet sipping celebrities… una better listen in here no bi say tomorrow una go come de beg for asssitance after flaunting wealth for social media… save your organs now from stress.

As for me, it is RED-WINE all the way. I would not touch a beer-bottle even with a very long pole, talk more of whisky, dry gin or those things they call orijin.