Narrative Essay Sample on Avoiding Drinking Alcohol

Most of us will drink at some point in our lives whether it be because we have just got engaged and decided to celebrate, or after a horrendous day at work just trying to get through the rest of the day without curling up into a ball on the sofa watching movies on your own. There are so many possibilities on why people drink and why people don’t and they all stem from the lives we live and the influences around us. I feel that in my life I have felt the pressure from my peers of consuming alcohol many times and that it has taken much strength to refrain from it because of my influences.

The people we surround ourselves with always have an impact on the way we make choices; for example, if we are constantly around a person that is judgy and means then it is most likely going to make at least, a little, part of you think about other people as if you are the Simon Cowell of your own life. The people that surround me, particularly in the family, are far from perfect. Yes, they are kind, smart, selfless and friendly but with all these great qualities there is bound to be a bad one somewhere. And there is. You see my family is terrible at coping with their emotions, they cannot get help from other people as they feel that they are bothering them and this causes them to get help from other places. Alcohol typically is one of the most commonly used things to help get people's minds off their troubles and it is the highest form of coping mechanism that is used in my family. This makes me feel terrible as I take from it that my family feel that asking for help is selfish which ultimately makes me feel that when life gets me down I should not ask for help, which of course is far from correct.

Whenever my family is experiencing loss, hurt or pain instead of the obvious choice of getting help from others they turn to the drink. Not all of them are bad with their drink, most of them will have one or two alcoholic beverages and they feel better but for some, their issues are much larger and they need more to cope. I always struggled with having to watch my family waste their lives drinking and drifting away as I believe so deeply that they are meant for more than that. I lost an auntie when I was 7 years old to the cruel hands of alcohol, this had hit me hard as I had formed an exceptionally big connection with her. She was like my best friend and I loved her very deeply, so naturally, when I found out she had died I was torn apart. The worst part about this death for me was finding out the cause. When I had found out about her major alcohol problem I had pieced the jigsaw pieces together and found out that all those happy memories I had with her were only there in my memory because she had chosen to drink. The only reason I was best friends with my aunt is that her judgement had been clouded. However, unlike my family, I was able to ask for the help needed and learned to deal with this loss without feeling the need to drink my blues away. Yes! I was only seven and would not have thought about drinking as others normally do but that loss has helped me with coping with all sorts of struggles now the recent years. I am now 16 years old and I cope with so much more struggles, the loss of 3 grandpas, the constant stress and doubt that my life won't go the way I want it and the continuous responsibilities of helping my family at their lowest points so that alcohol does not take more of my families fates. You would think that all the influences of alcohol present in my life, within my family or even people my age, that I would have at least once in my life tasted a drop of alcohol however to the surprise of many, I have not. 

My life decided that it wanted to go a different direction than those around me and I am now able to refrain well from the appeal of alcohol. I feel very proud of myself for deciding to stay away from drink and my family are too. They haven’t quite broken the barrier that holds them with this terrible habit but from the influence of myself they have realised their issue and I hope that sooner they can form a solution to help themselves. Still, sometimes I feel hurt from the loss and pain I have had throughout my life, as none of it goes away and I find that the place that I feel most calm and that helps me most, is curled up in a corner chair with my cosy blanket around me, a good book in hand with a hot chocolate lay down beside me. I find myself to be more of an introverted person and find comfort in the company of a few rather than loads of people. This is more appealing to me because I feel that talking through my issues and theirs in smaller groups is more personal than announcing my issues to the world. Asking for help from others is still a huge issue for me as I normally bottle all my struggles up until it gets too much (I have learnt that this is no way to do it). The question lies now, is this all just a hopeful rule set by a delusional child or will I continue to avoid drinking at all costs for a matter of my health and mindset?

Well, I truly believe that I will continue with this journey for the remainder of my life and that my livelihood will be ultimately better for it. I don’t believe that my views will change on the consumption of alcohol as I get older just that potentially I will feel the pressure more. Hate is a strong word and I never truly hate anything, however, the thought of alcohol in my system shortening the span of my life while always corroding my liver is a thought that I do.