Monday, September 5, 2011

Blame It On The Alcohol

Why is it, anytime there's a tragic event of a violent nature---let's say a major car accident; or a domestic violence situation; or any kind of melee---investigators always make a point of trying to determine if alcohol or drugs were involved?
Granted, toxic substances are notorious for their propensity to momentarily erode the areas of the brain governing inhibitions ...but they alone by themselves can't "make a person behave in a certain manner".  There are other factors which determine the personal conduct of any given individual as well.
For example:  How about that person's character?  Their personality?  Their attitudes?  Their priorities?

I'm hard-pressed to believe that just any sane mentally stable individual is going to be a complacent "average Joe" one moment---then, after one-or-more-too-many drinks totally flip-flop and go completely psycho and suddenly exclaim:  "I feel like going over to my girl-friend's place and just beating the crap out of her because she forgot to return a text message a I sent her a couple days ago. In fact I think I might even kill her while I'm at it." ...or "Hey, let's go for a spin.  I betcha my MAZDA can outrun any Indy car any day---we'll make it to the north side in less than five minutes." (To which one of his friends reply: "Yeah, but what about the traffic lights?")

I think in cases where someone "goes crazy" when they're either drunk or high there just may be other factors involved.  Including already pre-existing tendencies toward certain types of radical behaviors or strong passionate notions or beliefs of an extreme nature.  And, undoubtedly, one could wager on such an individual to be the "excitable" type.  Someone who's easily agitated or offended ...and who's a bit antagonistic themselves.  Maybe someone who's extremely stressed out and on-the-edge.

Then again, in some instances it may not be any drugs or alcohol at all.  It just might simply be a case of extreme personality disorder---or even an extreme mental illness.  A "jaded personality" can be just as potentially lethal as anyone who's excessively inebriated.

It's all-too-easy to "blame it on the alcohol and drugs" instead of motivating oneself to work on self-improvement efforts at character-enhancement; or improving one's moral sensibilities; or committing oneself to "being more responsible" for oneself.

It's much easier to scapegoat the "drugs" and "alcohol" as the sole culprits of all our social ills.
Don't get me wrong---I am, by no means, advocating any kind of misappropriative self-consuption of select toxic substances or anything else along those lines.  All I'm saying is that whenever there are crisis situations of any kind, those in charge should examine all factors involved from all angles---instead of merely operating on popular assumptions and notions. 

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