Growing up I used to think that my opinions on life would never change. I used to tell myself that no matter what I would never end up liking girls because they had cooties and even if I did that I would force myself not to. Yet here I am years later being confidently attracted to them and knowing how wrong I was back then. When I was younger I used to despise the thought of alcohol and the idea of people getting drunk for fun. I saw people that would drink as less than those who did not, and I would always try and preach to others as why they should not drink. I never really told anyone why I was against drinking until eventually one day I told someone my reasons not to and now I am more comfortable speaking on the topic. I despised the use of alcohol because my grandmother, who I was very close with, ended up splitting from my grandfather as he was an alcoholic and would come home only to beat her in front of their 13 children.Occasionally the older ones would step in and protect her only to be received by a few beatings as well. I always thought of how something that could be avoided so easily, ended up breaking apart a family of 15. He left my grandmother to be a single mother and I knew of how much she struggled and how hard she worked to provide food for her family and pay for their education. I only met my grandfather once and it was too long ago for me to remember. Everyone says that he was a nice guy, only when he wasn’t drinking.
Those thoughts followed me up until college when eventually I learned to realize that it is not just the alcohol, it is how the person uses it. Now I do not judge others of what they do because in the end it’s their decision and most people I know do their best to handle their liquor. To this day I remain sober, but I have now learned how to not frown upon my peers for attempting to enjoy themselves.
