The Tale of Alcohol And Smoking

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Just like me, I know many others might equally be wondering whether the effect of alcoholic drinks is different from the effect of smoking? or should alcohol be considered in the same category as banned drugs. Hehe, I believe this debate have caused quarrels or probably fights in beer parlours, lol.

Thinking about these questions, the first thing that comes to my mind is what the holy book said about alcoholic drinks (drink but don't be drunk). This means that alcoholic drinks are not very dangerous until we abuse it and drink it irresponsibly.

It's no longer a secret to us that the intake of drugs and tobacco are a threat to our physical and mental health. Infact, the federal ministry of health in Nigeria directed that all cigarettes companies should have the label "smokers are liable to die Young" in each of their packs, and yet people are still buying it and smoking it.

Almost every variety of cigarettes contains a high percentage of tobacco, and these tobacco plants has an addictive substance called nicotiana that is said to be a major cause of cardiovascular problems. Smoking has also been found to be a major cause of lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and heart disease, making it a leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide.

On the other hand, drinking too much alcoholic content is equally very destructive to the body. The misuse of alcoholic can lead to a wide range of health issues like liver cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis, and pancreatitis. Too much alcoholic content in the body can also increase the risk of developing certain cancers, like those of the mouth, esophagus, liver, and breast.

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This shows that although smoking and drinking are two different activities, they are both destructive to the human body. The intake of either of these substances would mean risking your health and putting your future on the line, because what smoking can do faster, drinking can also take it's time and do it better, lol.

I have observed something between the societal view of smoking and drinking. When a man is drinking alcohol in public, he is referred to as a strong man and is praised, but when a man is smoking especially in the hot afternoon, we say that man is a mad man that is yet naked himself. That was how one of my friend's dad was happy that he doesn't smoke. He was always pointing fingers at smokers in the community, as he insults them, but we all know he is the number 1 drunk in the community.

Through observation, I have come to realize that both drinking and smoking have proven to be mode changers to their consumers. I have many friends that smoke, as well as those that drink, and whenever they take in tobacco, the feeling is always different and addictive. Drinking and smoking both have psychological effects on the brain and the mental capability of a person.

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Mostly for older people, alcoholic drinks have been their major means of escaping depression, while for the Gen-z, smoking all manner of tobacco and weed seems to be their way out. And to think that the people of this generation are feeling more and more depressed than out forefathers ever did.

At this point, I can confidently say both smoking and alcoholic drinking are in the same team, but come in different patterns of draining their customers. My only problem is that those that are already addicted to either smoking or drinking would not want to see the need to stop.

But if we must do the right thing, the federal government should decree that the alcoholic contents in drinks should have a particular percentage limit. Alcohol is not completely a negative thing because they also serve as preservatives to drinks.

It won't be out of place to ban alcoholic drinks with too much percentage of Intoxicants if the government has already ban some drugs and tobacco for smoking.

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